The Z-Ninja
by Bru-Sensei
Summary: Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai are sent to another world after an explosion at the Clash with Orochimaru at the Tenshi Bridge. The group tries to find a way back home, not realizing that their presence has created a butterfly effect, changing the 2 worlds forever. How far will the group go to protect new and old friends against unbelievable opponents? Starts at the Saiyan Saga.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**The Z Ninjas: A Naruto Shippuden and Dragon Ball Z Crossover**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or DB/Z/GT, so don't sue me please!**

**Prologue:**

* * *

**Planet Element on the Tenchi Bridge:**

Yamato back flipped just narrowly escaping the attacks from Orochimaru and Kabuto. He had brown hair and brown, almond shaped eyes and he wore a happuri-style forehead protector that framed his face, a green flack-jacket, navy blue pants and undershirt which fit his neck up to his chin. He also only wore his pants halfway down the shin, with bandages covering the rest, and the standard ninja sandals worn by all ninja. He was now holding his right arm after Kabuto managed to cut it with his kunai.

Yamato was realizing that his plan to ascertain the whereabouts of Sasuke's location by dressing up as Sasori and meeting his informant was now an ambush.

Orochimaru was the first to speak after dropping the wooden dummy to the ground, "He escaped by making a Kawarimi(substitution) by using Mokuton Ninjutsu(Wood-Style Ninjutsu)".

Orochimaru was tall, had pale skin, long black hair, pronounced cheekbones, and eyes that were gold in color with slits instead of pupils that also had purple markings around them, giving him a snakelike appearance. He was wearing a grey garb over a black polo and black pants with a large purple rope around the waist ending in a large knot behind his back, and blue tomoe-shaped earrings.

Orochimaru continued, "You couldn't be….."

Kabuto, who was standing to Orochimaru's right side interrupted, "Orochimaru-Sama, is that the real Sasori?".

Kabuto had ash grey hair in a ponytail and wore black-rimmed glasses with circular lenses covering his onyx-colored eyes. He also wore a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt, dark purple fingerless gloves with armoured plates on the back of the hand, a white cloth waistband worn at an angle, dark purple pants, blue sandals, and a shuriken holster on his right leg. He no longer wore a forehead protector like he used to.

Orochimaru chuckled and answered, "No….It is not….Kabuto, are you telling me that you, one of Sasori's own subordinates, doesn't even know his real face?"

Kabuto still stared forward at Yamato, "...Well, he was a gloomy individual after all, always hiding in that puppet of his."

Yamato was listening and was shocked at the conversation between Kabuto and Orochimaru, "What are you talking about!?"

Yamato then took a breath and continued, "Kabuto… You're supposed to be an Akatsuki spy….You should have been under the effects of Sasori's jutsu this whole time".

Kabuto smirked while the gleam of his glasses hid his eyes and responded, "Ah yes, that jutsu…Orochimaru-Sama freed me from it quite some time ago…"

This shocked Yamato, causing him to sweat and pause for a few moments before saying, "I wasn't expecting you to change sides, acting as though you were still under the effects of Sasori's Jutsu…I suppose this means you fell prey to Orochimaru's Jutsu then…"

Kabuto then put up his hands and shrugged, "No…Not exactly," with a grin on his face, "All I fell prey to was Orochimaru-Sama's Magnificent way of thinking. I chose this path myself"

Yamato's face lit up with shock at Kabuto's words.

Kabuto continued, "But tell me, who are you anyway? We came here with the intention of killing Sasori, so this is quite the mishap."

Orochimaru interrupted him, saying, "Kabuto… I'll tell about this little boy here afterwards...But first things first," as he then began to put on an evil grin, "Why don't you call out those three little mice hiding in the brush?"

Yamato sighed, thinking, "_So he's seen through everything already,"_ and gestured by waving his hand forward signaling the rest of his team to come forward out of hiding, and in a blur three figures jumped out of the bushes, landing in between Yamato and their enemies.

On the left was Haruno Sakura, who was in her teens and had shoulder length pink hair, large green eyes, and fair skin. She wore a Konohagakure(Leaf Village) forehead protector which tied her hair back with the red cloth it was on. She also wore a red top with circular designs on the back with black gloves, black boots, black shorts under a short grey apron skirt, and grey elbow protectors. She also carried a tanto, or short sword, and a medical pouch, as well as a shuriken holster around her thigh. She only crouched and stared forward with a serious look on her face.

On the right was Sai, the newest member of Team Kakashi, or the incomplete form of Team 7. He was an odd and mysterious character who had extremely pale skin, with short, but straight black hair, black eyes, and a peculiar blank face. He wore a collared, midriff shirt (cuts off at the bottom of the ribs exposing the stomach), a black jacket with red straps that is full-sleeve on his right arm but short-sleeve on the left, a forehead protector with black fabric, black pants, black sandals, and black gloves on each hand with the thumbs and index fingers exposed. He carried a backpack, a tip-less tanto, a weapons pouch on his hip, and a shuriken holster around his thigh. He too crouched in anticipation.

In the middle was Uzumaki Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox). He too was in his teens and usually had blond, spiky hair with large blue eyes and three whiskers on each cheek. He wore a Konohagakure forehead protector with black fabric, a primarily orange jumpsuit with black on both sides of the zipper and on the shoulders as well as black sleeves, with orange pants and black ninja sandals. He carried a backpack, a weapons pouch on his hip, and a shuriken holster around his thigh, and the 1st Hokage's necklace under his jacket. He was crouching on all fours, but something was different with his appearance. Instead of his normal blue eyes, they were a fiery red with vertical slits; his teeth had also begun to morph into fangs and his fingernails into claws as he stared with the intent to demolish his opponent.

Kabuto looked upon Naruto and casually leaned back. All he did was smirk and say, "You again."

Orochimaru's focused his glare upon Naruto and chuckled, "kuku…I've seen that face any number of times," after which he paused in thought then said, "Since the Kyuubi boy is here too… Let's play with them a little bit then."

Orochimaru's evil grin only got bigger as he began to talk directly to Naruto, "I'll give you the pleasure of telling you which has gotten stronger…You or Sasuke-Kun."

Naruto only became more enraged than he already was upon hearing Sasuke's name, crouching down further in anger as red chakra began to visually flow around him. Finally, he could only manage to growl, "…Give Sasuke…Back."

Sakura was in shock as she witnessed Naruto beginning to transform, while Sai only looked over with his patented blank stare.

Kabuto once again tilted his head to the right, letting the glare hide his eyes and said, "There is no giving back Naruto-Kun. Here, let me explain it to you…" as he began to smirk, "Sasuke-Kun came to us of his own free will. It's about time you got over it. Going on about that is hardly behaving like a man…"

Sakura then turned with shock and anger at Kabuto, knowing that he just went too far with Naruto and was intentionally trying to taunt him, to which she yelled back, "SHUT YOUR MOUTH! FOUR EYES!...YOU DON"T KNOW A DAMNED THING ABOUT NARUTO'S FEELINGS! I'VE HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH OF YOUR "COOL" ATTITUDE!"

Orochimaru only smiled and chuckled back, "If you want to know about Sasuke-Kun…Why don't you try forcing it out of me? If you can that is…"

In such a quick blur that it caught both Sakura and Sai off guard and startled them, the bridge broke a bit as Naruto, who was already fully covered with the Kyuubi's bubbling chakra cloak, was already in Orochimaru's face as he unleashed a massive right handed strike to Orochimaru's face, sending him deep into the woods on the opposite side of the bridge, breaking through trees along the way before coming to a stop.

Naruto skidded to a stop while gritting his teeth in an angry glare, just waiting for Orochimaru to get up again, as the others just stared on in shock as Sakura thought, "_Naruto…Is this!?"_

Yamato only stared in silence and thought, "So it's true…It ended up happening just as I was told," as he remembered what he was told in Kakashi's hospital room before leaving on the mission,

_**Flashback Begins…**_

_Yamato stood at the left side of Kakashi's bed near the door with his arms behind his back, staring at Jiraiya, Naruto's Sensei a.k.a. Ero Sennin (pervy sage), a.k.a. the Gama Sennin (Toad Sage), as he said, "…In all likelihood, judging from the appearance of its chakra…Its tails would continue to increase at a rapid rate…and in the end…"_

"_There will be nine of them," finished Hatake Kakashi as he was aitting up in his hospital bed. Kakashi had white hair that was spikey and would often part towards the left side of his face. He only opened his normal right eye while keeping his left eye, with the sharingan, closed. He had a scar going from his left cheek to over his left eyebrow crossing the eye itself. He only wore his trademark navy blue mask, which covered his mouth as well as his normal undershirt. His feet were covered with a blanket._

_Jiraiya was on the other side of the bed leaning against the sill under the long wall of windows looking out from Kakashi's hospital room towards the rest of Konoha. Jiraiya was a tall man with waist-length, spiky white hair tied back into a ponytail, with two shoulder-length bangs that framed his face. He had red lines running from his eyes down the sides of his face till they hit the jaw line, as well as a noticeable wart on the left side of his nose. He wore a horned forehead protector with the Kanji for "oil" written on it. He also wore a green short shirt kimono and matching pants; under which he wore mesh armour that showed out the sleeves and legs of his outfit. He also had hand guards, a simple black belt, Japanese geta (wooden shoes), and a red haori (knee length vest) with two yellow circles on each front shoulder, while carrying an enormous scroll on his back. He only nodded with his eyes closed._

_Tsunade, the Yondaime (5__th__) Hokage, stood at the foot of Kakashi's bed listening intently on what was being said. She is known to be in her fifties, yet she uses a unique and constant transformation technique to appear as her younger self. She had a slender frame with a large bust (106 cm circumference according to Jiraiya), and brown eyes and long, straight, blonde hair that she with shoulder length bangs on each side of the face and two long ponytails in the back that reach the small of her back. Also on her forehead is the Hyakugou (Strength of a Hundred) Seal, which is violet and shaped like a rhombus. She wore a grass-green haori with the kanji for gamble written in black inside a red circle on the back. Underneath which she wore a grey, kimono-style blouse with no sleeves that revealed plenty of cleavage. Her blouse was held together by a broad navy-blue obi (sash) that matched her pants. Lastly, she wore open-toed, strappy black sandles with high heels with red polish on both fingernails and toenails, as well as a soft pink lipstick._

_Kakashi then looked over at Jiraiya with his one open eye and asked, "Exactly how many tails did you witness, Jiraiya-Sama?"_

_Jiraiya only replied with a, "hmm," as he began to take off his clothes._

_After his shirt was off, and he began to life his mesh armour, he said, "There have been two times in my life where I almost died…The first time I was left with six ribs and both arms broken, as well as a number of ruptured organs…"_

_He continued, "after trying to take a peek at some women bathing," he was now looking at Tsunade as she blushed and made an angry yet embarrassed face with her eyes closed, "Tsunade…That was when you had your way with me…and the second time was…"_

_Much to the shock of everyone else in the room, he continued to lift his armor up revealing a massive scar covering most of his chest in with several long scars converging at a large one in the middle._

"…_That was when I was training with Naruto after having witnessed his Kyuubi chakra form a fourth tail," continued Jiraiya as the others waited in silence for him to continue, "With rage acting as a trigger, the tails of The Demon Fox increased in Number…He was able to retain consciousness with up to three fully-formed tails, but once the fourth tail sprouted, he lost all appreciation for his own actions and was overcome by a pure destructive impulse," as the others were now leaning in closer, "It was as though he had become a miniature Kyuubi."_

_Surprised, Kakashi asked, "Even with Yondaime's (4__th__ Hokage's) protective seal, it went that far?"_

_Jiraiya answered with a very serious look on his face, "I'm not sure of the specifics, but I can say that it would appear that Yondaime's seal is in the process of weakening."_

_Jiraiya continued as he looked around the room, "Another problem is that while Naruto is in his Kyuubi form, he is covered by a fox-shaped shroud formed of chakra that, at first sight, seemed to be protecting him, but quite to the contrary, it was actively and continuously causing damage to his body."_

_The concern was evident on all of their faces as Jiraiya kept going, "When the fourth had formed, his body was entirely covered with chakra, and his BLOOD…He then proceeded to go on a rampage, despite receiving a number of serious injuries…Once the chakra shroud dissipated, Naruto's damaged body recovered through its internal Kyuubi chakra, but if he continues such rapid cycles of injury followed by accelerated healing, then Naruto's body will weaken and his lifespan will be shortened." Jiraiya finally finished._

_After a short period of thoughtful silence, Tsunade turned to Yamato and said, "That is why we need you, Yamato…You who inherited the cells of Shodai Hokage-Sama (First Hokage)."_

_Jiraiya followed, "Currently, you are the only one who possesses the potential to control a "Jinchuuriki", Yamato…As luck would have it, Shodai's necklace is hanging around Naruto's neck…We're counting on you."_

_**Flashback Ends**_

Yamato continued to watch Naruto, being prepared for if or when he would have to act.

Kabuto turned back to the enraged Naruto, and with his evil smirk glasses' glare, said,"Naruto-Kun…I see you've developed very nicely as a "Jinchuuriki"," as he thought, "_The Kyuubi's power is becoming ever stronger, no doubt…"_

Kabuto's remark jogged Sakura's memory as she remembered what Chiyo told her when they were rescuing Gaara from Akatsuki,

_**Flashback Begins**_

_Chiyo continued, "The defining characteristic of a Jinchuuriki is his abilty to wield unfathomable power by working in sync with the Bijuu (Tailed Beast) he harbors."_

_**Flashback Ends**_

She could only watch and think his name, "_Naruto…"_

Just then, Orochimaru came walking out of the woods with his head down, and once in full view, he began to laugh maniacally, and then shout, "MY OH MY…YOU SURE HAVE BECOME QUITE THE JINCHUURIKI NARUTO-KUN," as he lifted his head to reveal the true face of the body he currently inhabited underneath the grotesque, skin-like mask that resembled what Orochimaru used to, and wanted to look like, shocking all of our heroes.

Orochimaru, turning his attention towards Yamato and walking back towards the others on the bridge, now said, "So that explains why you were chosen to watch over him. It would appear my experiments were of some help after all…I would think that Konoha would be a bit more appreciative…Wouldn't you agree, dearest guinea pig of mine?"

Sakura looked back at Yamato in confusion.

Kabuto used his peripheral vision to look back to Orochimaru and ask, "Guinea Pig...? Just who is this person Orochimaru-Sama?"

Now that he made it back closer to Kabuto, Orochimaru responded while repairing his "face", "Well, you see, the First Hokage was a shinobi possessing the most unique of abilities…His Mokuton Ninjutsu, and what's more was that he was able to bend the Bijuu to his own will…Oh how I coveted those gifts of his," as he now chuckled, "heh heh".

Now with his "Face" healed, Orochimaru removed his hand from the left side of his face and continued, "I had obtained DNA from the first's remains and carried out an experiment in which I attempted to fuse his DNA with 60 different children," he now smiled and shrugged, "I thought they had all perished, but I guess one survived after all."

"_So that explains why he's the only person I've heard of other than the first who can use Mokuton Ninjutsu," _thought sakura as she continued to stare at Yamato.

Kabuto then smirked and said, "Looks like you'll be able to get that long awaited sample after all."

Orochimaru nodded then said, while turning back to Naruto, "Yes, but I would like to see our Sasuke-Kun fight the Kyuubi boy just once. I really wonder which one has gotten strong…"

"He isn't yours…" Naruto said as the third tail began to bubble up and form creating massive power and causing the wind to how with the release of energy. "**DON'T YOU DARE TALK OF SASUKE AS THOUGH HE BELONGS TO YOU IN MY PRESCENCE!"** screamed Naruto as he crouched down more and more like the Kyuubi.

The others could only watch and marvel about the amount of chakra being used, for it was so much and so powerful that it could also burn and sting their skin.

Naruto was beginning to lose himself, he was still conscious, but unable to form any coherent words as his eyes became filled with bloodlust and his fangs and claws got even larger, as well as the whiskers on his face becoming more pronounced than ever before.

Orochimaru looked into Naruto's eyes and it was if he could see the actual Kyuubi through them.

Then Naruto unleashed a deafening roar that forced everyone to cover their faces with their arms to protect them from the wind.

Orochimaru on scoffed, "How Amusing".

The roar alone blew the metal cable railings off the side of the bridge, making it less stable.

Yamato and Sai were in awe of the power that the Kyuubi shared with Naruto, but Sakara was utterly terrified by the amount of chakra and deemed it uncontrollable.

Kabuto then saw an opening and tried to take advantage while he thought Naruto was focused on Orochimaru, but Naruto turned and saw him coming, unleashing another roar and and an explosion of energy around him blasting Kabuto away while making everyone else cover their eyes as the bridge was destroyed by the blast.

Sakura, Yamato and Sai barely managed to regain their footing before being knocked away, and looked up to see Naruto, as well as the middle of the bridge, gone with only a strange portal where he just was.

They were all in shock as they tried to figure out what was going on.

"He…He j-just d-disap-peared," said Sakura.

Sai thought to himself, "Now's my chance to complete my mission."

Sai tried to get away, but Yamato grabbed him before he could and pulled him towards the portal, which was now closing. Yamato shouted, "Sakura, Sai come on! We need to follow him! Wherever he went he's putting that area in danger as well as himself! I need you two to help subdue the Kyuubi!"

Sakura nodded, "Right," as she ran after Yamato, who was still pulling Sai.

Then Yamato lost his grip on Sai and cried, "Shit," and fell into the portal because he was pulling so hard.

Sai tried to get away but Sakura jumped at him and the portal shouting, "Oh no you don't!," while unleashing her super strength punch on Sai, knocking him through the portal with her following shortly after. Shortly after that, the portal closed, blocking the way back for the time being.

Orochimaru stared around in utter disbelief, then sighed, "Huh, and I was just starting to have fun," with a slight frown on his face. Then he giggled as thought, "_At least those bastards in akatsuki are going to be pissed"._ He turned to find Kabuto standing, having already healed himself, and said, "Kabuto, it's time to go, Sasuke-Kun will get cranky if we don't get back to the hideout soon."

**Meanwhile, now on a mysterious Planet:**

Yamato sighed and thought, "_At least he knocked himself out from the blast."_

Sai only looked around and said under his breath, "I apologize to you Danzo-Sama, I have failed you."

Sakura concentrated on healing the wounds Naruto had suffered from the Kyuubi's cloak and thought, "_I can't believe how much power he unleashed right there," _she now looked at Naruto's unconscious face, "_but it has such a negative effect on him. I don't ever want to see him like that again. I just want him to stay safe. I can't lose Naruto either."_ As her thoughts moved on to Sasuke, causing her to feel depressed at how close they actually came to finding him, so she then continued to focus on healing Naruto to get her mind off it.

Then a mysterious voice shouted out of nowhere, "Hey there, are you alright?"

Yamato, Sai, and Sakura got ready to defend Naruto if they had to while he was unconscious and scanned their surroundings. They saw nothing but the clearing and debris in caused by the portal and preceding explosion, followed by the dense forest.

"Yo, up here," cried the mysterious voice.

Yamato, Sakura, and even Sai, for the first time since root training, just about dropped their jaws to the ground in complete shock at what they say. Finally, Sakura yelled, "IS HE RIDING A CLOUD!"

They all looked up at the strange man wearing an orange Gi with black, spike unkempt hair.

He rubbed the back of his head and said, "I was getting some firewood when a heard an explosion, so I came to see if everyone was alright."

Yamato managed to stammer, "J-just who are you and how are you riding a cloud?"

The man responded, "Oh, this is Nimbus, and you can only be pure of heart to ride it. As for me, I'm Son Goku, what's your name?"

* * *

**Yamato, Sakura and Sai now realize that they are indeed in one strange place. Just who is Son Goku (wink, wink) and how will the unconscious Naruto react when he wakes up. What does this mean for Team Kakashi, find out next time in: The Z Ninjas.**

**P.S. I will use some original Japanese names and some of the English versions of names; it just depends on how I like it.**

**Please Read and Review. It is my first fan-fiction, so please be gentle. So for now, See Ya!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Will to Go On

**The Z Ninjas: A Naruto Shippuden and DBZ Crossover**

**Disclaimer:** **"I do not own DB/Z/GT or Naruto. I wasn't born yet when Akira Toriyama made Dragonball, and it would have been remarkable if I had made Naruto, considering I was in the first…"**

**Sakura: "What's the holdup? You're keeping the readers from the story."**

**Me: "Aww…but I wanted to finish making my point…"**

**Yamato: "Sorry, but you must begin the story now. Right," as he makes his scary face.**

**Me: (trembling in fear) "Okay, okay…Man that dude is just as creepy as Mr. Popo."**

**Mr. Popo (abridged): "What was that maggot?! Did you forget the pecking order?"**

**Me: (On the ground in pain 'cause I jumped like Scooby Doo into nobody's arms) "Um… Nothing Mr. Popo, I was just busy remembering my place."**

**Mr. Popo (abridged): "Good let's keep it that way," (close-up of Popo's eyes), "BYYYYEEEE".**

**Me: "Okay, that's enough surprises for one day. I better check my pulse and start this chapter. Enjoy!"**

**(Shout out to TFS and DBZ Abridged)**

* * *

_**Chapter 2: The Will to Go On**_

**Now, on the mysterious planet:**

_Our four ninja have ended up on a mysterious planet after Naruto, in his rage, caused an explosion during the fight with Orochimaru at the Tenchi Bridge that opened up a portal, sucking him in. Yamato, Sakura, and Sai followed him through the portal to find an unconscious Naruto on the ground in the middle of a forest. _

_With the Portal now closed, they are now trying to find out just where they have been sent when a mysterious man riding a cloud offers some help, but his strange entrance leaves the three conscious ninja in shock, creating an awkward silence until:_

* * *

Yamato finally managed to stammer, "J-just who are you and how are you riding a cloud?"

The man responded, "Oh, this is Nimbus, and you have to be pure of heart to ride it. As for me, my name is Son Goku. What's yours?"

Sakura turned towards Yamato and whispered, "Captain Yamato, do you think we can trust him?"

Yamato whispered back, "He seems friendly enough to trust. Plus, he seems to be from around here, so he might be able to help us figure out where we are. Besides, what choice do we have?"

Sakura and Yamato then turned their attention back to Goku.

"I am captain Yamato," he responded, "and this is my team. The girl is Haruno Sakura, the boy to my right is named Sai, and the unconscious one on the ground there is Uzumaki Naruto. We don't know where we are. Could you come down and tell us?"

Goku smiled, "Sure…Hyaa," as he, much to the shock of the ninja, crouched down and jumped off Nimbus from at least fifty feet up, performing several flips and acrobatics before landing nimbly on his feet in front of them.

Sakura was shocked and thought, "_Show-off…Couldn't he have just ridden the cloud down to us?"_

Goku, after maintaining his composure for a few seconds, then grimaced as he said, "Man that hurt a little," as he began to stretch out his legs to ease the pain which gave Sakura and Yamato time to analyze his appearance more closely.

Goku appeared to be at least in his early twenties and was a little taller than Naruto minus the hair, which was wild and spikey, sticking out off of his scalp in various directions. It was black in color, matching his eyes, which appeared to be full of vibrant life and joy. He had a standard build but appeared to be strong and in shape as his muscles had impeccable definition. He wore an orange gi over a blue short-sleeve undershirt that matched his simple belt, from which a simple brown leather pouch was hanging, and his wristbands. He also had on black boots with a small red accent and gold laces. On the back of his gi was a black kanji for the word "turtle" inside a white circle.

Goku then stood up, and with a look of embarrassment on his face, said, "Guess I should have stretched before jumping off Nimbus. Oops, he-he-he."

Yamato and Sakura fell to the ground with their limbs in the air.

Sai just stared at Goku with a blank face and thought, "_He seems similar to Naruto in some ways if what I read in that last book is indeed correct."_

As Sakura and Yamato got back on their feet, Goku looked puzzled as he gazed past them at the unconscious Naruto.

"So what happened to him," asked Goku while pointing at Naruto.

Yamato looked back at Naruto as well. "He was caught in the explosion, and was knocked out by the blast before he got sucked into the portal, which was what you probably heard. It brought us here after we followed Naruto through the portal, for we couldn't leave our teammate behind," as Yamato only decided to partially reveal the truth as to why the explosion occurred in the first place so as not to alarm Goku.

Sakura lowered her head after she was again reminded of Sasuke and began feeling depressed.

"Oh," responded Goku who now tried to think of a way he could help. "I got it! A Senzu bean will have him back on his feet in no time."

All three ninja stared at Goku curiously and asked, "A Senzu bean?"

"Yeah…They're made by Korin, who lives on a tower stretches high into the sky," responded Goku, who was now reaching for the small leather pouch hanging from his belt and continued, "I climbed it for training a while back and Korin has been making these beans for me and my friends just in case we need them and they work wonders."

He pulled out the little green colored bean and showed it to the ninjas.

"How soon will it take effect and heal a person?" asked Sakura who was particularly interested in the subject.

Goku then put a big grin on his face and answered, "Immediately…it completely heals a person and restores all of their energy the instant they swallow it."

None of the ninjas could believe that there was any possibility of there being anything like the Senzu bean, so they remained a bit skeptical. Although their curiosity on if the claim was even true overwhelmed their previous doubts, so they let Goku by.

Yamato, Sakura, and Sai peered over Goku's shoulder as he kneeled down to Naruto, who still had some visible wounds from the Kyuubi's chakra.

Goku put the Senzu bean up to Naruto's mouth and fed him the bean.

Immediately after Goku helped Naruto swallow the bean, Naruto's chest swelled up a little bit with the bean restoring his energy, and essentially made his wounds disappear. Naruto then gasped and opened his eyes.

Sakura and Yamato both exclaimed, "HOLY CRAP IT WORKED!" Sai only quietly continued to watch as things continued to unfold as Naruto jumped back from shock at Sakura and Yamato's reaction.

"Ehhhhh! What's going on!? Where in the hell am I, why're you guys yelling" Said Naruto.

Goku smiled, "Good. You're up."

Naruto then stared back at Goku in confusion before turning towards his teammates and bluntly asking, "Who is this weirdo?"

Sakura immediately became annoyed, showing pulsing veins on her forehead, before punching Naruto hard on the head.

"You idiot, this guy took the time to heal you and you call him a weirdo!?" said Sakura.

"Owwwww! Sakura-Chan, I didn't know, I'm sorry," said Naruto as he pouted and rubbed the baseball sized lump forming on the top of his head.

Sai thought to himself, "_Their relationship is still strange to me…I need to go and look back at that book on relationships if I will ever begin to understand those two."_

Goku got up and thought, _"She's just like Chi-Chi and Bulma!" _before turning towards Yamato and asking, "Does that happen a lot with those two?"

Yamato smiled from embarrassment and said, "Yeah…As far as I know it does," as a bead of sweat dropped down his head. "I'll go take care of it real quick okay," he continued as he walked away from Goku towards Naruto and Sakura."

Sakura was still scolding Naruto, "You always do this. How many times do I have to hit you before you get it through that thick head of yours?"

"I don't know, but I don't think giving me brain damage is going to help Sakura-Chan," said Naruto as got up on his feet, still rubbing his bruise.

"I hope you two are done," as Naruto and Sakura turned to see Yamato and his Scary Face. "I don't have to force you to stop do I?"

Naruto and Sakura chuckled in fear and both replied, stammering, "Y-y-yes C-c-captain Yamato. W-we're done."

"Good," said Yamato as he turned back towards Goku and continued, "I need to ask Son Goku some questions."

Naruto and Sakura turned to each other as Yamato walked away and whispered to each other, "Man…He is just so…"

"I beg your pardon…" as the Scary Face was now right next to theirs.

Naruto and Sakura then got down and begged for mercy in unison, "Nothing Captain. Please just ask Son Goku your questions."

Goku stared on and sweat dropped and thought, "_Man…I guess that guy Yamato can be really scary when he wants to."_

With the squabble finally settled, Yamato turned towards Goku and said, "Thank you for help Goku-San, but we need to ask you some questions as well."

Goku smiled and rubbed the back of his head while saying, "Aww…It was nothing…I was just passing by…I assume you guys would have done the same thing for me, but I need to get some firewood and get back to my wife, Chi-Chi. Do you mind if you wait at my house a little bit until I'm done before you ask me those questions?"

Yamato sighed then said, "I guess that's reasonable."

Sakura nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, we're not going anywhere now that we're stuck here."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock after looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, and he asked, "Huh…Where did we go? I thought we were figh-…" He stopped as he remembered Orochimaru back at the Tenshi Bridge. He quickly turned his head from side to side in panic and continued, "W-where's the bridge? Where are Kabuto and Orochimaru?" as he began to get angry remembering what they had said to them.

Yamato explained to him, "Naruto…Calm down…the reason we are here is because you let your anger take control and released the Kyuubi…After Kabuto tried to attack you while you had on the Kyuubi's cloak, you released an explosion that nearly blinded us and destroyed the bridge."

Naruto's eyes began to widen in shock and understanding.

Yamato continued, "So we shielded our eyes, but when the explosion ceased and we looked up, you were gone and a portal was in your place."

Sakura continued from there, "We were shocked, but we couldn't abandon you," said Sakura because she remembered Yamato telling her before that Naruto has no recollection of what happens when the Kyuubi takes control and didn't want to alarm him, so she left that part out.

"So we followed you through the portal, one of us unwillingly," continued Sakura as she looked towards Sai. "_I'll have to remind myself later to ask him why."_

"But as soon as we got through the portal, we found you on the ground and unconscious. We tried to pick you up and take you back, but the portal had already closed, so we tried to heal you as you had some injuries after the explosion, and that's when Goku-San found us and helped us heal you with his one of his Senzu beans, and here we are," finished Yamato.

Naruto's eyes softened and his expression became one of pain and guilt, "So it's my fault that we're stuck here; my fault that I let Orochimaru get to me like that; my fault that I let the Kyuubi have control; and my fault that they got away," he said as tears began to form in his eyes. "Damn that Orochimaru. We were so close to finally finding our friend. I will never forgive him for taking Sasuke away from us for so long, just to use him as he sees fit."

He paused to calm himself down and wipe off the tears. Then he raised his head, refusing to give up hope and declared, "That is why I won't give up. We will find a way back home, to Konoha, to our friends and I will stop Orochimaru! I SWEAR IT!"

Sakura smiled at Naruto because he restored her hope as well.

Yamato grinned in admiration of Naruto's Spirit.

Sai thought to himself, "_I still can't fully understand why he would want to save that spineless traitor…Even if he may view him as a brother. Now that I know I am going to be with them longer, I have to begin watching what say around them."_

Goku grinned as he watched Naruto and thought, _"His determination is amazing, especially after what he just realized… This guy just may have the will it takes to be really great someday. Especially with that I power I sense inside him."_

Naruto smiled and looked towards Goku and said, "Alright! Goku we'll go with you, and I'll help gather wood too, Dattebayo!"

Sakura nodded in agreement and shouted, "Hell yeah! Goku please lead the way."

Sai put on his fake smile and said, "I would like to go too. I am curious to find out where we are as well."

Yamato smirked and said, "Well, that settles it. Please lead the way Goku."

Goku smiled and began to turn away, "Alright, let's get-," but his expression became very puzzled and he turned back and was chuckling nervously. He began to scratch his cheek with his index finger and continued chuckling, "He-he-he-he…Um, I kinda forgot to ask you guys if any of you knew how to fly. That's the only way to get there from here, he-he-he."

The four ninja, including Sai, all fell to the ground with their limbs in the air after hearing Goku's question.

They still lay there and twitched as a puzzled Goku asked, "What? Was it something I said?"

**End of Chapter 1**

* * *

**It appears as though these 4 ninjas are going to follow Goku to his home, but how will the team react to Goku's startling question? Will Goku be able to answer their questions as well, and if he does, how will Team Kakashi react to his answers? Find out in the next chapter of The Z-Ninjas!**

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter even it's a little short and lacks action. I tried to spice it up a little with humor and decided to end it where I did to avoid boring readers to death with all the talk. I felt that it needed to be done this way in order to better tell the story and to introduce the main characters to each other in a way that I thought it would probably go down.

I promise that there will be action in the next chapter as the characters begin to learn more about each other as they spend more time together. Also, I most likely won't make other chapters as short as short as this one was, but that depends on where I am at in writing the story and what I hope to accomplish in each chapter. I hope you can understand.

Sincerely,

Bruman77.

**P.S. **(_In a whisper_) "I really needed to wrap it up because I think abridged Mr. Popo is gonna come back and I do not want to be here when he comes back."

**Abridged Mr. Popo:** (_while hitting me out of nowhere and appearing to knock me unconscious) "_Pecking Order, Maggot! Ha-Ha-Ha!"

He pauses then continues, "That pathetic excuse for an author wishes to ask for you to review, favorite, and follow The Z-Ninjas. Also, he is going to pay dearly if he features me on this pathetic story again. Which was the reason for that punch. I'll have mercy for now, but only as long as he will continue to observe the pecking order. If not,...Popo will put him in his place...permanently. With that, I must say,(as he pauses just little bit too long and you get a close-up of his creepy eyes) BYEEEEE!"

**Me:** (_making a small grin only opening one eye a little_) "Is he gone? Good. That hurt a lot. I think abridged Popo has been getting a little bored lately since TFS hasn't put out any new episodes lately and decided to take his frustrations out on me. Anyway, as he just said, please read, review, fav., and follow."

"See you next chapter! Bye_," I say as I turn away and think to myself, "I better move to a different place to hide from Popo."_

**Abridged Popo:** "No one can hide from Popo, Maggot!"

**Me:** "Oh God please help me!"

**Kami:** "Sorry I can't. He freaks me out too!" as he runs away scared.

**Me:** "You Coward!"


	3. Some New Friends, Bonds, and Threats!

**The Z-Ninjas: A Naruto Shippuden and Dragon Ball Z Crossover **

* * *

**Me:** **Hey there everyone. I think finally got away from abridged Mr. Popo. **_**Looks from side to side to check **_**I think it is safe enough to start the next chapter. This one will have action and more content as well as…Oh, crap…Naruto is coming and he does not look happy.**

**Naruto: YOU JERK! HOW DARE YOU SEND ME AND MY TEAMMATES THROUGH A PORTAL! I'll KILL YOU!**

**Me: No you won't.**

**Naruto: YES I WILL!**

**Me: No you won't. Because if you did, then how in the world are you going to get back to save Sasuke?**

**Naruto: I…Uh…Oh…Crap…You win you dirty cheater…**

**Me: I don't cheat. I just have an unfair advantage…Wow, the more you say it; the more I guess that I am cheating, but know that I will make things worth your time if you play along with my story. **

**Naruto: How so?**

**Me: For starters, I'll let you eat ramen this chapter if you say the disclaimer for me.**

**Naruto: AWESOME! I GET TO EAT RAMEN! DEAL! Bruman77 does not own Naruto/Shippuden or Dragon Ball/Z/GT. Now where's my Ramen?**

**Me: I'll make sure you get it, now please get back into my story.**

**Naruto: Okay! I'll be waiting for my Ramen, Bruman77.**

**Me: Please I prefer it if you call me by my nickname, "Bru", from now on okay.**

**Naruto: Okay…(he turns and leaves)**

**Me: Enjoy the Chapter everyone. Remember to please Review, Follow and Favorite!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Some New Friends, Old Bonds, and New Threats**

* * *

**Goku's House-Mt. Paozu**

Sakura chuckled as she watched Goku and Gohan stare at Yamato. He was using his **Mokuton Ninjutsu** to make some firewood for causing Goku trouble. Then she looked back down as she continued to heal Sai's broken face. She didn't want to though.

Naruto looked down at the unconscious Sai and asked, "Is that dumbass awake yet?"

Sakura continued to focus, "Nope…I don't want to be doing this after what he said to Chi-Chi, but he is our teammate."

A vein began to throb on her forehead as she thought about the events that led up to this moment,

* * *

**FLASHBACK BEGINS**

_Goku was carrying Sakura and Naruto while riding Nimbus back towards his house on Mt. Paozu, since they could neither fly nor ride the Nimbus Cloud like Goku could. Sakura was on his back while he held Naruto by his jacket with his right hand. _

_Sai was following him on his eagle, drawn by him on his scroll then brought to life by his __**Choju Giga (Ink Beast Imitation Technique)**__, and Yamato was riding it as well._

"_How much further till we get your house, Goku?" asked an impatient Naruto. He was currently crossing his arms and also had an irritated look on his face. He felt as if he were being treated like a bad dog that had to be pulled by its collar._

_Goku smiled, "3…2…1…We're here!" as he signaled to Sai with his left hand and began to descend towards Mt. Paozu and his house._

_He gently put Naruto down in front his house, and then lowered Sakura down before hopping off Nimbus as Sai's bird drawing landed behind them._

_Yamato and Sai got off the bird and then Sai made a hand seal and said, "Release", as the bird disappeared in a puff of smoke while Goku waved goodbye to Nimbus. Naruto and the other ninja examined the area as well as Goku's house itself._

_The land on which Goku's house stood was located on top of a cliff overlooking the road to the house, as well as the grassland on each side of the road. On the other side of the area was the dense forest edge. It was a very peaceful spot that was green with vegetation and vibrant with wildlife. In between the hut and the house was a well, as well as what appeared to be an outdoor bathtub._

_The little hut next to the main house was situated on a white slab of concrete closer to the forest edge, and lied facing the road. It was a small, Pagoda style hut that had red brick halfway up the outside walls, with white concrete rising up the rest of the walls. It had light blue doors with the Son family Kanji in red overtop white diamonds on each one. The small hut also was topped-off with a dark blue roof._

_The main house lied closer to the cliff and also faced the road. It had 3 main parts to it. The first part of the house was a round, white concrete dome that housed the kitchen and had the vent sticking out the top, one long window facing the old hut, an arched entrance with a brown door, and the Son family kanji displayed in red in the middle of a red diamond several times around the top of the dome._

_The dome connected to one larger portion of the house that contained the bedrooms, which had two chimneys, a brown roof, white walls with brown corners, and a window facing the hut. The smaller house area was designed the same way as the bedroom section, but only had one chimney and had its own separate entrance._

"_Your house looks nice," commented Sakura, "the view here is amazing."_

"_Thanks," responded Goku, "Chi-Chi's father built the new house for us after we got married five years ago."_

_Yamato looked back at the house and said, "That was mighty generous."_

_Goku smiled and responded, "Yeah it was. It would have tough for us to live in my Grandpa Gohan's hut over there."_

_Sai looked over at it and commented, "Only a country bumpkin would ever consider living in something that small."_

_Goku frowned and kicked some dirt in shame. He responded in a sad voice, "That's not very nice. It's where I lived with Grandpa and even after he died before I met my friend Bulma. She called me that too."_

_Sai turned to Goku and put on his fake smile. "I did not intend to offend you. I did not think it meant anything when I said it," said Sai before turning back to the hut._

_Goku leaned towards Naruto and Sakura and whispered, "This guy is really weird. You know that?"_

_They held back their apparent frustration with Sai, even though it showed on their faces, and whispered back, "Yeah. We noticed."_

"_DADDY!" said a young voice as the group looked to locate it, and saw the small boy run towards Goku and jump on him, knocking him to the ground while giving Goku a hug with them both laughing. "Daddy, you're late. Mom was getting worried you weren't going to bring the firewood back in time for dinner. She's not going to be happy that you didn't bring any back."_

_Goku smiled, "Hey Gohan, can you let me up? I need to introduce you to some new friends, okay?"_

_Gohan looked over towards the ninja as his cheeks got red, apparently nervous. He hopped off his father and hid behind Goku after he had gotten up._

"_It's okay, Gohan. Come on out and say hello," as Gohan slowly stepped his way out from behind his father looking very shy._

_Gohan was short, had long spiky black hair tied back in a ponytail, black eyes, and Goku's facial features. He wore a yellow children's cloak over a green, long-sleeved shirt. The cloak was long enough to cover his knees and had the Son kanji on the chest. Gohan also had black shoes and wore a round red hat with an orange ball that had 4 red stars on top of it._

"_Guys, this is my son Gohan," as Goku smiled and gestured to him._

_Gohan bowed towards the ninja and said, "Pleasure to meet you all."_

_Sakura smiled at him, "Nice to meet you too, Gohan-Kun. I'm Haruno Sakura."_

_Sai kept a straight face, "Likewise. My name is Sai."_

_Yamato smiled, "A pleasure as well, Gohan-Kun. I am Captain Yamato." _

_Naruto, "Hey Gohan," as he began to notice something the other ninja had missed. "I-is that a tail?"_

_Yamato and Sakura both looked puzzled as they looked down to find what Naruto was talking about. Sure enough, a brown-haired, monkey-like appeared from behind Gohan, causing them to stare dumbfounded at the sight._

_Sai just stared blankly, "How very strange."_

_Goku chuckled and stated, "He-he-he…Yeah, I had one when I was younger, but it got permanently removed."_

"_So it runs in the family, huh? Weird," said Naruto as he continued to think as it wasn't a big deal._

"_SAYS THE TEEN WITH WHISKERS ON HIS FACE," as Sakura whacked him again for being rude, making the others, except Sai, chuckle in fear of Sakura's rage._

_Naruto grimaced; "OWWW!" then began to pout, "Please stop doing that Sakura-Chan"._

_Goku looked at Sakura and said, "You remind me of…"_

"_GOKU! WHERE IS OUR FIREWOOD! WE NEED IT FOR DINNER!" shouted an irritated voice behind them towards the house._

_They turned back to see a woman in front of the open doorway to the dome-shaped kitchen._

"_Chi-Chi…" Goku now muttered under his breath._

_Chi-Chi had black eyes and black hair. Her hair was pulled back into a bun while still letting some bangs hand over her forehead, as well as two shoulder-length bangs on each side of her face. She was wearing a purple Chinese dress with an orange cloth around her neck and shoulders, and a yellow sash around her waist. She looked absolutely furious._

_Gohan looked up his dad, "I told you she'd be mad."_

_Goku cowered in fear as she stormed right up to him, "AND WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? GOKU, HOW DO YOU EXPECT US TO BE PROPER HOSTS, IF WE CAN"T OFFER DINNER," she screamed in his face._

_Goku pushed his two index fingers together with an apologetic look on his face and said, "I'm sorry Chi-Chi, but these people needed my help with something. I just brought them here for the meantime until I get the wood."_

_She glared over at the ninjas and scanned over each, one by one till she came to Sai, who was wearing his fake smile. She turned her anger on him, "What are smiling about, you freaky albino?"_

_Sai kept the smile going and answered, "I think it's interesting how Son Goku is so afraid of his bitchy wife!"_

_It got dead silent as they all turned to Sai in shock after what he just said._

_Goku just said, "Run…Run for your life now, Sai."_

"_I'M NOT A BITCH!" screamed Chi-Chi as she suddenly hit Sai over the head with a frying pan as hard as she could, causing him to immediately crumble to the ground unconscious._

_Naruto and Goku mumbled together in unison, "I-I think she just killed him."_

_Sakura said, "I think I should check his vitals," as she ran towards the unconscious Sai._

**_INNER SAKURA: "HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVED…CHA!"_**

_Chi-Chi began to turn and redirect her anger back at Goku, who was trying to sneak away, and said, "Get back here now. You need to take them somewhere else. I do not want that language poisoning Gohan's brain."_

_Goku faced the music, "Chi-Chi I would, but they need our help…"_

_Chi-Chi frowned in thought, "Fine…You have until that one wakes up, and then they're gone." Then she turned around and stormed back to the house. "Don't forget to go get firewood while you're at it," she continued while walking away without looking back._

_Goku exhaled and began to breathe heavily now that Chi-Chi was gone. "That was close…I need to get that wood now or I'll be next."_

"_Allow me," interjected Yamato," as he began to concentrate chakra into both hands, and as soon as he had gathered enough, using his Mokuton Ninjutsu as he sprouted wood from his hands, shocking Goku and Gohan. "It's the least I can do after the trouble we've caused you."_

"_AAAHHH…ARE YOU A SORCEROR?!" screamed Goku._

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

* * *

Naruto looked to Sakura and said, "Yeah, he did deserve it, but I don't think she had to go that far."

Sakura looked up at Naruto, "You're lucky that I don't hit you harder than I already do," she said as she smirked so as to warn Naruto.

Naruto panicked a little, "I am just going to go over and see how the firewood's coming."

"Okay," replied Sakura as she continued to heal Sai.

"Wow, so you can make stuff out of your own energy?" said an amazed Goku as Naruto walked up behind him.

"Yes. Why would you ask? Don't you all use chakra here," as he began to puzzle at Goku, "I've never heard of a nation that didn't have chakra users. So why haven't you seen it before?"

Goku became extremely puzzled, "Chakra, is that a food?"

Gohan, Yamato and Naruto fell to the ground.

Getting back up as he dusted himself off said, "I guess that since you can't answer that, I just have to ask if you can tell me where on Planet Element this place is?"

"Huh…Planet Element…Did you hit your head or something mister? You are on Planet Earth," answered Goku.

Yamato, Naruto and Sakura froze and stared at Goku for a few painfully long seconds before Naruto freaked out.

"WE'RE ON A DIFFERENT PLANET! ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" as he began to break down in frustration.

Sakura began to feel depressed as she stopped working on Sai, "We're never getting back."

Yamato looked around, "We thought we were still on Element. This place looks so much like our own planet that we only thought that we were sent to another part of it."

Goku said, "I didn't think there was other life out there in the universe."

Yamato said back, "Neither did us."

"I don't care. I will get back and save Sasuke…Somehow, I will," said a determined Naruto.

"Well if we got here in the first place, then there must be a way back," said Yamato.

Sakura said, "Are you sure? How do we know where our planet is, or when we will get there?"

Naruto looked at Sakura and made the "nice guy" pose and said, "Sakura, it may take longer for us to get back, but we will get back home somehow. I promise."

Sakura made a bittersweet smile in return, and began to heal Sai again.

Goku after thinking for a bit said, "Hey. Maybe my friend Bulma can help you guys!"

"Bulma, who's that," said a puzzled Naruto.

Goku responded, "She's someone that I've known since I was a kid. She's extremely smart and may be able to help you. We're meeting in two weeks at Kame House with the rest of my friends. I can take you there to wait since Chi-Chi won't let you stay here."

"We don't have anywhere else to go anyway," said Naruto.

"Agreed," said Yamato, "It seems to be our only and best option at the moment. We'll move as soon as Sai is ready."

"He already is," the group turned to see Sakura and Sai walking towards them.

Sai continued, "Let's go. I do not wish to stay."

Naruto began to tease him, "You must be a masochist for saying such mean things to women."

Sai ignored him and said to Goku, "Please lead the way," as he unfurled his scroll.

Making a hand seal, he said, "**Choju Giga**," as one his drawings came off the scroll and grew larger into another eagle. He continued, "Goku…please tell your wife that I apologize for my comment. I did not mean anything by it," as he put on his fake smile.

Goku smiled and said, "Okay. Let's go! Nimbus I need you!"

The yellow cloud flew down and Goku hopped on it as it flew past and picked up Naruto and Sakura and carried them as he had before. Sai and Yamato followed. Naruto was irritated for having to be carried by his jacket collar again…

* * *

**2 WEEKS LATER- AT KAME HOUSE**

Sai was sitting on the porch drawing in his book, as the others were relaxing, waiting for Bulma and Goku to arrive. He looked out at the ocean watching as the fish jumped into the air. He had begun to learn more about Naruto and Sakura and with their relationship to Sasuke, especially after the talk the team had a week ago,

* * *

**FLASHBACK BEGINS**

**_1 WEEK EARLIER:_**

_Master Roshi, Krillin and the others had left for some errands, while the ninja stayed behind. _

_Sai was searching through his backpack. He couldn't find his brother's picture book that he carried with him. As he began to panic, Naruto, Sakura and Yamato walked up behind him._

_Sakura said, "Looking for something?" as she took the picture book out of her backpack._

_They were outside of Kame House, which was a smaller two story house that sat on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean next to a single palm tree. It was painted pink with a red roof. It had a covered porch with a similar red roof and a screen door that served as the main entrance. It had "KAME HOUSE" painted on the front and windows on all sides._

_Sakura continued, "We found it on the ground outside of Goku's house after Chi-Chi went berserk on your face with a frying pan."_

_Yamato continued, "We'll give it back, but only of you tell us what your real mission was back on Element, the mission that Danzo gave you, which is why you were assigned to our team."_

_Sai put on his smile and said, "Very well…I did fail as soon as we left Element, and so it wouldn't hurt to give you the details…One part of my mission was to gain Orochimaru's trust as an ally, feigning that Danzo wanted to work with Orochimaru to destroy Konoha…which would gain me entry into their hideout…After which, I was to find Sasuke and execute him."_

_Naruto put on an extremely angry face as he was about to punch Sai, but thought better of it and, while gritting his teeth, said, "You bastard…" under his breath._

"_So it all adds up…Danzo was using both of your intents to save Sasuke at all costs to be able to get close enough and assassinate him," said Yamato._

"_Which is what reminds me, Naruto," said Sai with his smile, "Why do you care about him as much as you do? He probably would not want anything to do with you anymore."_

_Sakura answered in Naruto's place, "Sai, you should be asking yourself that question. For someone who claims to have no emotions, it sure is funny that you carry around this picture book as a reminder of your brother."_

"_I don't have any emotional ties to it. I just haven't thought of a way to finish it yet…Besides, he was not really my brother, just another of the abandoned children in ROOT that liked my drawings," said Sai in response._

_Yamato responded to Sai, "I have heard of the training that ROOT ninja go through to rid them of their "emotions". According to rumors, it is very much like the forbidden training of the Bloody Mist. So I know that your brother died in this training, and that his killer was…"_

_Sai interrupted, "You're wrong! My brother died of illness before I could show him his book. After he died, I couldn't remember what I wanted to draw on the last page. I couldn't feel it anymore. I had lost my emotions, and I already had no name, since Sai was just a name given to me for this mission, and became nobody. I am made to serve as Danzo-Sama's tool. I am not even real."_

_Sakura countered, "You do really exist Sai. It is impossible for even us Shinobi to lose our emotions, and this picture book and that you keep carrying it is an example of that," as she tossed the book to him._

_He caught the book in his hands and stared down at it for a couple seconds before looking back at Sakura and asked, "Please explain why me carrying book has anything to do with proving my existence."_

_Sakura kept her serious face and answered, "The reason why you can't let go of that book is exactly because you find it impossible to forget yourself as being somebody's brother…Do you understand why?"_

_Sai kept a straight face as Naruto was looking on, wishing to see where Sakura was going with this._

_After a brief period with no response, she continued, "It's because your bonds with your brother are very important to you. You obviously, deep down, want to remember those times you shared as brothers."_

_Sai's eyes widened in both shock and realization, "Bonds!?"_

"_The bonds you two shared meant more to you than anything, which is the real reason you carry that book. You want to finish it, for him. That proves that a part of you exists. Your existence is proven in the bonds you and your brother shared." as Sakura finished her point._

_Sai looked down at the book, remembering his brother, before saying, "Thank you for returning it as you promised, but I still need an answer for my question," as Sai turned to Naruto and continued, "Naruto…You know that Sasuke most likely doesn't even care about you anymore. He's probably broken contact with you two for so long so that he won't hold back the next time he sees you. He could have already had his body stolen by Orochimaru by now as well. So, tell me why. Why do you keep going after him, knowing you will likely face Orochimaru with the possibility of death? It's not like you have to follow it as an order."_

_Naruto thought seriously a moment before smiling and answering Sai, "Way back when, Sasuke and I hated each other, but when we had spent time together as a team, I realized that he was fun to be around, and he did the same. He, more than anyone else, acknowledge my existence, Sai."_

_Sai began to look both shocked and puzzled at the same time._

_Naruto continued, "Sasuke is my friend…He's the one representing bonds that I waited so long to receive. So that's why…"_

_Sai only stared back at Naruto with shock before muttering, "Bonds…That doesn't seem like much of a reason, not if it means facing Orochimaru."_

_Naruto continued with his smile, "If my arms get ripped off, I'll just kick him to death. If my legs get ripped off, I'll just bite him to death. If my head gets ripped off, I'll just stare him to death, and if my eyes get ripped out, I'll just curse him to death," as they all stared back in silence and shock, "Even if it means getting torn to pieces, I'm going to take Sasuke back from Orochimaru no matter what."_

_Sai looked down at his picture book once again, as a tear began to form on his right eye, and he wiped it off as he thought, "Is this a tear. Did his speech get to me that much…So I do apparently have emotions somewhere inside me after all. Naruto," as he turned to him._

"_Yeah, Sai?" answered Naruto._

"_I just want to say thank you. Just as Sasuke may have changed, then so have I. I want to explore and understand the bonds that you share with Sasuke, so that I may remember more of my own bonds that I shared with my brother," said Sai as he put on a smile._

_For the first time since they met Sai, Naruto, Sakura and Yamato felt like Sai was not trying to deceive them with a smile. _

_Naruto smiled back and said, "Sure…It's not like you have anything else to do at the moment…Hi-hi."_

_Sai continued to smile, "Thank you, Naruto."_

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

* * *

Sai smiled and began to draw his new piece again. It was titled, "Ocean Sunrise".

A few minutes passed before Krillin and Master Roshi walked out of Kame house to join the ninja.

Krillin said, "Hey guys…Why don't you come inside…Goku and Bulma will be here in a few hours."

Krillin was a young man in his twenties that was short and bald. He had dots on his forehead arranged in two vertical rows of three. He wore the same outfit Goku wore, minus the blue undershirt, which the ninja found out was Master Roshi's Turtle School uniform.

Roshi said, "Yes…Plus since you guys have been staying here, there's a mess upstairs and in the kitchen."

Roshi, the Kamesennin (Turtle Hermit), appeared to be an old man who was bald and had a weakened looking body. What he lacked for hair on his head he made up for with his large fu Manchu mustache and beard. He was wearing a green t-shirt and khaki shorts with sandals, as well as his trademark sunglasses with a red frame and black lenses. He was using a walking stick.

"You've got to clean up before they arrive," concluded Roshi.

"D-don't look at me, Kamesennin-Sama," said Sakura, "Naruto's the one that can't clean up after himself."

Roshi sped up to her and began to get a little inappropriate, "O-of course not, Sakura-Chan. I wasn't going to stoop so far as to make a lovely young lady such as you do the cleaning if she wasn't the cause…He-he-he."

Krillin thought to himself, "_Oh boy, there he goes again!_"

Roshi continued to get closer to Sakura as she began to get annoyed and said, "You have been so polite to me that I just wanted to show you my gratitude as a host," as Roshi began to inch even closer, "I just want to give you a big hug…"

Naruto looked on and thought, "_This guy and Ero-Sennin would be best friends if they were to ever meet each other."_

Roshi began pushing his face toward Sakura's chest, "Just let me give you a biiiig hug, Sakura-Chan!"

Finally, Sakura's rage boiled over and whacked Roshi into the water and blushed.

"YOU GOT TOO HOT OLD MAN! YOU REALLY NEEDED TO COOL OFF A LITTLE BIT!" shouted Sakura.

All the others burst out laughing at Roshi.

Roshi got up with a big lump on his head and said, "Fine, suit yourself. You and the other ninja need to clean things up still."

Sai wrapped up his drawing and said, "I'll do it guys," and walked back into Kame House.

Yamato commented, "He sure has been friendlier towards us since last week."

"Yeah," said Sakura as she seemed to have cooled down herself.

Naruto smiled and said, "Great! Now that that's settled, I can train some more!"

Krillin, who had since walked to Roshi and whispered to him, "Remind you of anyone?" and giggled.

Roshi had a smirk on his face, "Yes…He has the need to get stronger just like Goku."

Yamato facepalmed and said, "Naruto…We can't wear ourselves out before we meet somebody…It's rude."

"Aww, man," said Naruto as he began to pout, "but I really need to get more powerful so I don't have to rely on the Kyuubi anymore."

Yamato interrupted him again, "You can always train later…For now, just relax," as Yamato now put on his scary face, "I don't have to make you do I?"

Naruto looked frightened as sweat dripped down his head and he gulped before responding, "Nope…I'll relax for now…That sounds good," as Naruto ran away so fast that all they heard was the screen door close behind him.

Yamato smiled, "Good!"

Krillin leaned in to Sakura and whispered, "Your captain really rules by fear, doesn't he?"

Sakura responded, "You have no idea," as she began to walk for the house, followed by the others.

* * *

**(2 Hours Later…In a field, a farmer is taking a breather from his daily work.)**

"Phew," said the fatigued farmer as he looked around his farm. He had black hair, and wore glasses, a plaid shirt underneath denim overalls, and brown working boots, as well as a straw hat.

Suddenly, something falling from the sky caught his attention, as he said, "Huh?" as he watched it fall.

He watched in shock and as it fell only a little farther away in his field and created a massive cloud of debris.

He stared at the cloud of debris and said, "W-what –t-the…W-was that a m-m-meteor, or a UF-F-F-O!?"

He gulped and got into his beat-up, old, blue pick-up truck and started it up, saying, "I've got to go see what it is," while he sped off towards the object.

When he got there and managed to get out of the truck with his gun, he saw a huge crater still sizzling from the impact.

He managed to stammer, "I-it's i-incredible."

He began to look closer as he saw a white metallic pod with a single red window on the door in the middle of the crater, which made him confused.

Suddenly, the door of the pod opened up slowly as a man walked out of the pod before jumping into the air, landing in front of the terrified farmer.

The man had long, black, spiky, and untamed hair that hung down to his knees, as well as black eyes and a muscular build. His build was further amplified by the armor he wore, which consisted of shoulder pads, a navy blue chest protector, orange thigh and crotch protectors which matched the shoulder pads, red bands around his left thigh and bicep, navy blue wrist guards, and navy-blue boots. He also wore black short-shorts under his armor, as well as an unfamiliar device on the left side of his face with green glass covering the eye. Also, around his waist, was a furry, brown tail.

The strange man looked down at the terrified farmer and said with a scowl on his face, "So…The inhabitants of this planet are still alive…Curse that Kakarrot."

The terrified farmer pointed his gun at the strange man and said, "St-Stop! Who are you!?"

The man saw the gun and touched his left index finger to the device on his head. It beeped and clicked as it processed some numbers that appeared on the glass in front of his eye.

He chuckled, "He-he…A power Level of five…What a pathetic planet," as he began to walk towards the farmer undeterred.

The farmer panicked, "St-stay back! I'm warning you!" as he tried to walk backwards away from the man who still kept moving towards him.

The farmer panicked and fire his gun, but to his amazement, the man had moved his hand in front of the bullet in one instant and caught the bullet in mid-air, to which he put between his thumb and index finger and began to smirk.

The famer tried to run but the man flicked the bullet back at the farmer, going straight through him and hitting the truck, totaling it and killing the farmer, causing blood to splatter on his face as well.

The man stared down at the deceased farmer and said, "Meh…A planet of weaklings…hmm," as he noticed the blood on his cheek, "Ugh…How dare that trash bleed on me, an elite saiyan, Raditz!"

He had just finished wiping the blood off his cheek when suddenly, his device began beeping and reading something, causing him to look towards the mountains far off to the west.

"Hmm…A life form…Of great power…Distance 4880…" as he took off flying in the direction of the reading he just received. His expression became serious as he muttered under his breath, "Kakarrot".

* * *

**Meanwhile, at Kame House**

Naruto was stuffing his face with ramen while Sakura cleaned up the dishes.

Yamato was watching TV with Master Roshi, who had a beer in his hand, and Krillin on the red leather, wrap-around couch, Sai was upstairs.

Naruto finished his bowl and leaned back, patting his stomach.

"Oooh, that was so good. Thank goodness that we learned how to make Ichiraku's ramen recipe, otherwise I would die from lack of ramen," said Naruto, who then belched. "Excuse me," said Naruto.

"Jeez, you sure can eat, Naruto-Kun," commented Krillin, who had turned around to see the five bowls sitting in front of Naruto. "I think Goku's the only one who can eat more than you in one sitting."

Roshi turned back as well, "Yeah. The day he came to train with me, he ate an entire week's worth of food in one sitting!"

"What, really!?" asked a confused Naruto.

"Yep," confirmed Roshi.

Sakura then threw the washcloth at Naruto and said, "You clean up your dishes since I cooked it for you."

Naruto caught it and responded, "What…Come on Sakura-Chan, please…"

Sakura became irritated, "Next time, don't eat as much and you wouldn't have such a mess to clean up!" She stormed off after that.

Naruto grunted, "Fine…" as he got up to clean his dishes.

* * *

**Meanwhile, in the desert**

Piccolo was standing on a plateau overlooking the desert wasteland. He was tall, had green skin, pointed ears, fangs, and no eyebrows. His muscles were pink in color and outlined with red. Piccolo wore a purple gi, with a light blue obi (fabric belt) tied around his waist. He also wore a turban, shoulder-padded armor covered with a white cape, and brown, pointy shoes.

He was thinking about his future conquest of earth and defeating Goku when he suddenly turned around in shock and fear after sensing someone coming.

He thought to himself, "_I sense great power…and it's coming closer," _as he began to brace himself_, "Is it Son Goku?"_

He gasped when he saw Raditz flying towards him_, "No!"_

Piccolo held his ground as he faced Raditz, who had just landed in front of him and snarled.

Raditz looked at Piccolo and frowned, "Meh…You're not Kakarrot."

Piccolo still snarled, saying, "Who are you, and what business do you have with me?"

Raditz chuckled, "Heh…Business with you…None."

Piccolo became irritated as he held out his fist, "Then why did you come here!? Do you have a death wish or something!?"

Raditz only smirked as he checked his device, "Quite the feisty one now, aren't we?" as the device beep and numbers appeared on the screen, "Hmph…Power level 332…Not bad, but still nowhere near my level."

Piccolo began to lose his cool and got into his fighting stance and shouted, "Just who do you think you are!? Do you have any idea who you're speaking to!?"

Raditz just kept his cool and smirked, "Does it look like I care?"

Piccolo began to feel nervous as he bared his fangs and began to sweat, and thought, "_Does he really think that he's that powerful?"_

Then, Piccolo shot out his arm, firing a strong yellow blast at Raditz head on, "HYAA!"

Raditz continued to smirk as he let the blast hit him dead on, creating a billowing cloud of dust.

Piccolo smiled and thought, _"That got him."_

His smile faded and was replaced with shock when the dust cleared, revealing Raditz who had not moved a muscle.

"An impressive display…OF DUST! HA-HA-HA!" laughed Raditz, "Is that all you can do?"

Piccolo gasped in utter shock, "I-I put all I had into that. You should be nothing right now!"

"Well I must admit, you did singe one of my leg hairs," mocked Raditz. He then put up his right hand and said, "Now, it's my turn. Let me show you what REAL power is."

Piccolo was frozen in fear as Raditz charged an energy ball in his hand, but before he did anything with it, Raditz's device blinked and beeped, gaining his attention and causing him to stop.

"There seems to be another greater power level on my scouter," as Raditz levitated into the sky, leaving a gawking Piccolo on the ground. Raditz looked around until the scouter beeped again, "Aha, a distance of 12909, in that direction," as he turned east, "It's the biggest on this planet. It has to be Kakarrot this time."

Raditz then flew away in the direction of the power level, leaving Piccolo to fall to his knees from shock and breathing heavily. Still sweating, Piccolo gritted his teeth and said, "I don't believe it…I was petrified…I couldn't move!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, Back at Kame House**

The group was relaxing in the main room, turtle had now joined them as well, when someone opened the front door.

A woman with blue hair peered through and waived, "Hey! Long time no see!"

Krillin and Master Roshi both exclaimed, "Bulma!"

The four ninja gazed her way as Naruto thought, "_So this is the genius Goku-San said could help us."_

Bulma had blue hair cut short and big, blue eyes. She looked as if she were in her mid-to-late- twenties and wore a white lab coat over a blue top and white cargo shorts that were accentuated with a black belt. She also had white sneakers, blue socks, a watch on her left wrist, and red earrings.

Roshi put down his beer (liquid courage), and walked up to Bulma. "So, you only show up when we invite you, and only after the longest time, huh?"

Bulma, with a friendly smile pulled a wrapped present from behind her back and said, "Well I'm here now, aren't I?" as she extended the present towards Roshi, "I even brought you some manju buns."

Roshi looked at the present, "Manju, eh?" He bagan to chuckle and rub the back of his head and said, "You didn't have to do that. I would have been happy if you let me puff-puff your b-"

He was cut off as Bulma whacked him hard on the top of his head.

Roshi was grabbing his head and blushing as he turned to Bulma and said, "Still no sense of humor, I see."

Bulma was still positioned in her follow-through from the punch and said while blushing, "Still just a perverted old man, I see."

The ninja all stared with their jaws open, dumbfounded at what just happened.

Bulma looked up at the ninja, who all had shaken their stupor and stood up.

She turned back to Roshi and Krillin asking, "Who're these people?"

Krillin pointed over his shoulder back at the ninjas and said, "Oh, them. Apparently they're ninja from another world and Goku told them to wait here so you'd help them. That was two weeks ago."

"Whaaaaat! HE SAID THAT!" shouted an upset Bulma, "He should know to ask me first and not drop anything on me last minute."

Krillin made a funny face and said to Bulma, "You do realize that it is Goku we're talking about here, right?"

Bulma sighed and ran her hand through her hair, "Yeah, you're right." She turned to the ninja and said, "Hi. Nice to meet you, my name is Bulma."

Yamato was the first to speak up, "Thank you. I am Captain Yamato, and this is my team," as he gestured to himself then the others with his right hand.

"Sai, nice to meet you," said Sai as Yamato passed over him.

"Uzumaki Naruto," said Naruto as he put both hands behind his head with a big smile.

"Haruno Sakura," said Sakura as she smiled and nodded towards Bulma.

Bulma quickly got close to Sakura and whispered, "I am so sorry you had to spend two weeks with that lecherous old man."

Sakura chuckled, "Tell me about it."

Bulma got back to her place and said, turning back to Yamato, "So, I've heard that you're from a different planet, and Goku said I could help you, right?"

Yamato only nodded in response.

Bulma raised an eyebrow in thought, and then continued, "Okay, do you have a space ship?" The ninja shook their heads no. "Do you know the coordinates of your planet?" The ninja again shook their heads no. "Then I don't know what to do. I would need to get you guys a ship, but that could be done. The problem is that I can't send you home if I don't know the coordinates of your home planet. Sorry."

The ninja all hung their heads in sadness.

"Well, you got here somehow. Maybe there is still another way back or something," said Bulma while trying to cheer them up.

"It's fine Bulma-San," said Yamato, "It'll all come together somehow. We appreciate it though."

Naruto and Sakura sat down, looking depressed at the news they had just received.

Bulma frowned and asked, "Just how old are you guys? You seem to have been through a lot."

Sai straightforwardly answered, "Naruto, Sakura and I are all sixteen," as Sakura and Naruto nodded.

Yamato said, "Twenty-six. We can handle it though."

Bulma thought, "Geez…About the same age that I met Goku…Go figure," before she smiled reassuringly and turned back to Krillin and Roshi and said, "Okay, that sucked to have to tell them."

Krillin raised an eyebrow and realized something. He turned to Bulma and said, "Hey Bulma, speaking of telling other people things, mind telling us where Yamcha is?"

Bulma face turned into sheer rage, frightening Krillin and Roshi, as well as the ninja, who had gotten over their depressive episode and joined the others' conversation.

She grabbed the sides of her lab coat and pulled them together before ranting, "YAMCHA, THAT JERK! I DON'T CARE AFTER WHAT HE'S DONE TO ME! I'M BETTER OFF WITHOUT HIM!" She paused to compose herself for a second, before continuing, "Forget him! Where's Launch!?"

Krillin responded, "She chased after Tien when he left to train five years ago."

* * *

**Meanwhile, Dashing Through The Air,**

Goku was sitting on nimbus while holding Gohan on his lap.

He smiled and said to Gohan, "Hey look there Gohan," as he pointed with his left hand at the small island approaching in the distance, "That's Kame House up ahead! We're nearly there!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, somewhere between the desert and Kame House**

Raditz was flying as his scouter lit up and beeped, "The power source is moving at a high velocity…You are mine this time Kakarrot!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, back at Kame House**

(Outside)

Goku had nimbus get close before hopping off, saying, "Here we are!" He peered at the door and shouted, "HEY THERE!"

(Inside)

Everyone turned to the door in confusion as they heard a voice and collectively said, "Huh?"

Krillin recognized who it was immediately and smiled, "It's Goku!"

* * *

**Back following Raditz**

Raditz was still flying as he smiled and proclaimed, "He's stopped moving! He's close!"

He sped up, zoning in on his target.

* * *

**Back outside Kame House**

Goku was now holding Gohan in his right arm, as he waved at the group now filing out of the house and said, "YO!"

They were still wearing the clothes they had on when they met the ninja.

Krillin and Bulma were the first outside to greet him.

Krillin shouted with glee, "Goku!"

Bulma also said, "Son-Kun!"

Roshi came outside and said, "About time you got here."

Naruto and the other ninja followed suit and came outside.

They all smiled as Naruto said, "Hey Goku! Hey Gohan-Kun!"

Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi were confused as they heard what he said, and then focused their attention on the child in Goku's arms.

Krillin raised a finger and questioned, "Uhh…Goku...Why is there a kid in your arms?"

Goku laughed and said, "Oh…He's mine of course!"

Bulma, Krillin, and Master Roshi all dropped their jaws in shock, "YOURS!"

"Yeah," answered Goku. "What's wrong with that," as he put Gohan down and said, "Say hi, Squirt!"

Gohan bowed to them and said, "Good afternoon," as he nervously smiled.

Goku's friends smiled back, and returned the favor, bowing and saying in unison, "Good afternoon."

"His name is Son Gohan!" said Goku as he stood proudly with his fists on his hips.

"Oh. Named his after your Grandpa, I see!" comment Master Roshi.

Goku smiled, "Yep. Sure did."

Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi all noticed the tail behind Gohan and exclaimed in shock, "A TAIL!"

Bulma and Roshi both leaned in closer to Goku and began to whisper.

Bulma whispered first, "Does anything weird happen on a…you know?"

Goku was confused, "Huh?"

Roshi added, "You know…on a night with a full moon, did he ever look at the moon?"

Goku put his hand to his chin, raised an eyebrow and said, "No…Can't say he has…We all go to bed early so I don't think he gets the chance. Why, do you think I should show him sometime?"

Bulma and Roshi both panicked and yelled, "NOOOOOO! NEVER DO THAAT!"

Goku looked at them as if he were a little annoyed and in pain, saying, "Oww. Ok, ok. I won't do that, just don't scream in my ear again…Darn that hurt! Why did you too get so weird all of a sudden?"

Bulma and Roshi simultaneously raised both their hands, shaking them, "Oh…Nothing, nothing!"

Bulma then smiled and crouched down in front of Gohan who held on to his father's pants in shyness, and asked, "Just how old are you Gohan?"

Gohan looked back at her and smiled back. He counted his fingers and held up four of them, saying, "I'm four years old."

Bulma patted Gohan's head and said, "He sure is polite…"

Goku put on a slight frown, "Yeah…Chi-Chi's strict when it comes to that and studying."

Roshi chuckled, "Ho-ho…That tomboy turned into a real education-minded woman huh?"

Goku continued to frown in disappointment, "I know…She won't let me train him…He has potential, but she says he doesn't need to train 'cause the world's at peace and no one needs martial arts."

Krillin looked down, shook his head, and muttered, "What a waste."

Goku agreed, "Tell me about it."

Bulma interrupted their conversation, "Hey, I just noticed, that's a Dragon Ball on Gohan's hat, isn't it?" as she stared at the small orange ball.

"Yeah," said Goku, "It's the four star ball. I went looking for Grandpa's Dragon Ball and I found it! I also have the one star ball, and the six star ball!"

Krillin was in shock, "You have three of them! You lucky dog!"

Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, "Don't I know it!"

Sakura and the other ninja looked perplexed, as she asked, "Dragon Ball?"

Goku looked up and said, "Yeah…They're magical…There are seven of them around the world and if you collect them all, you get to have any one wish granted."

Sakura, Sai, and Yamato were all in amazement, but it was Naruto who had the brilliant idea.

He smiled and looked at Sakura and the others as if he were hiding a secret and said, "Hey guys…I think I know how we can get home…"

Sakura, Sai and Yamato each looked at Naruto dumbfounded, as they had yet to come to the same conclusion. They all cried in unison, "What!?"

Naruto stood straight up, crossed his arms, and chuckled, "He-he-he…We can use the Dragon Balls to get home," as his smile got even bigger.

The other ninjas' faces lit up in realization and joy at what they just heard.

Sai exclaimed, "Well done, Naruto-Kun!" Yamato just smiled in acknowledgement.

Sakura jumped for joy, shouting, "Hooray! We can go back home," as she jumped towards Naruto and hugged him. "Naruto…You come up with the best ideas at the most needed times!"

This confused Bulma, Goku, Gohan, and Roshi as they turned to see the ninja all giddy with excitement.

Goku scratched his cheek with his index finger and asked, "Why are you all so happy? What's going on?"

Yamato said, "We just figured out that we could use the Dragon Balls to get home. It was Naruto's idea."

Bulma said, "Of course…I forgot about the Dragon Balls when I was brainstorming for you guys. They will definitely work!"

Krillin said, "I'm happy for you guys."

Sakura, who was still hugging Naruto and in an unbelievable amount of happiness, did not realize what she was doing and pecked Naruto on his cheek. Everyone was speechless, for most of them had seen her beat on him before.

Naruto was in utter shock and began to blush, "Sa-Sakura k-kissed me?"

Sakura heard and snapped back to awareness as she realized what she was doing and punched Naruto into the water, blushing beyond control from embarrassment.

**INNER SAKURA"OH...MY...GOD! WHAT DID I JUST DO!?" **

Naruto kept smiling, "She kissed me. Right here," pointing to his cheek, "I am not going to wash this spot."

The others all began to laugh except for Goku, who noticed something the others hadn't, and turned back towards the ocean in fear, gaining everyone's attention.

Krillin asked, "Goku, what's wrong?

Goku kept staring out into the sky, "Something's coming. Something very strong!"

Krillin put his hand above his eyes to shield them, "I don't see anything."

Naruto, had now walked back to rejoin the group and looked where Goku was looking.

Bulma scowled, "Better not be Yamcha."

"How can you not sense that Ki Krillin, it's massive," scolded Goku without turning back.

A confused Naruto asked, "What's Ki?"

Sakura didn't hit him on the head as she too was focused on the sky, but she did scold him. "Naruto, don't you remember what Chakra combines. It combines your spirit energy or Ki with your physical energy, or all of the energy of each cell in your body."

Naruto looked back to the sky, "Oh! I remember now. So Goku and his friends can sense spiritual energy?"

"…and use it as our energy when we fight," finished Krillin, who became serious, "I can sense it now too, Goku."

Goku's widened and he said, "Everyone get ready! He's here!"

Just as soon as he finished giving his warning, Raditz landed in front of the group.

"So I've finally got the chance to meet you," said Raditz with a menacing smile, "I could tell it was you by your hair…You look just like your father."

Goku and the others stared at Raditz in complete shock as Naruto asked, "What's that guy talking about Goku?"

Krillin continued for him, "Do you know him from somewhere, Goku?"

Goku shaked his head no, "Nuh-uh."

"_I don't like the look of this one bit," _thought an anxious Naruto as sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Kakarrot!" exclaimed Raditz, "Why have you not carried out your mission!?"

Gohan was hiding behind his father's right leg, as Goku was dumbfounded, "Mission?"

Goku's friends each looked at him and back to Raditz before thinking, "_Mission!?"_

"Yes," answered Raditz, "Your mission was to come to this planet and exterminate the life on this planet!" as he turned and frowned at the group before raising an eyebrow at the four ninja and thought, "_Elementals, huh?_"

"Look, big guy," said Krillin as he suddenly began to walk towards Raditz waving his index finger and scolding him, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, so go on, Go! Shoo! Scram!"

"KRILLIN! GET AWAY FROM HIM, HE'S STRONGER THAN YOU THINK!" exclaimed Goku as he panicked.

He was too late, as Raditz had smashed Krillin through the siding on Kame House in the blink of an eye, rendering him unconscious. Raditz snickered, "Bald midget space trash!"

Naruto, Goku and the others shouted, "KRILLIN!"

Sakura ran over to check on him and see if she could heal him.

Everyone turned towards Raditz to see how he could have hit Krillin so fast, when they noticed his tail.

"Look! he's got a tail too!" gasped Naruto.

Goku stared in shock at the tail and said, "A-a tail!? Y-you have a tail just like I used to have…!"

"Heh-heh-heh," laughed Raditz, "Looks like you finally figured out who I am."

Goku blinked and was still confused, "What do you mean...Who are you…?"

Raditz became extremely frustrated, "Quit joking around! You couldn't have forgotten the miss-…Unless…Kakarrot, did you take a blow to the head, one that was extremely severe?"

"I am not this Kaka-who-whatever…My name is GOKU!" shouted back an equally annoyed Goku.

"WELL…Did you?" asked Raditz again as he raised his fists in anger, "Answer me now!"

"There was this one time, but I was really young. I don't even remember it happening. The only reason I know it happened is because of the scar I still have on my head," answered Goku as he rubbed his head.

"Damn you, you clumsy buffoon!" exclaimed an angry Raditz, "but that would explain it…"

"Explain what!?" as Goku was screaming in anger and confusion, "I have no idea what's going on!?"

Naruto scratched his head in confusion and muttered, "Neither do I."

Then, Master Roshi spoke up, "Goku! Please listen to me! Your Grandfather told me about a time when he found a baby in the woods, next to crater with a white alien pod inside. That baby had a tail and a violent disposition no matter what anyone tried to tame him…"

Roshi paused as the others listened intently, and then continued, "He was at his wits end until one day, that baby fell out of the basket he was carrying and into a deep ravine, landing on his head, and nearly killing him…When the boy awoke, his temper subsided and he grew into a good-natured and fun-loving boy."

Goku was turned back to Roshi and asked, "That baby was me," while he pointed at himself with his left hand.

Roshi's face was serious as he nodded and answered, "Yes…You were."

Bulma had taken Gohan and was restraining him, and said, "Does this mean that there's a connection between him and this guy?"

Goku now shouted at Raditz, "Who are you? Why do you want me? Answer me now!"

Raditz' face grew serious as he clenched his fists, "I'll warn you. I will find ways of making you remember your heritage. Your people need you, Kakarrot."

Sakura had finished healing Krillin and brought him back to consciousness as he stepped out from the broken corner of Kame House.

"Are you okay Krillin?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah…I think so," Krillin now turned to Goku, "Goku be careful, this guy is so incredibly strong."

"I know Krillin…" said Goku, who kept his wary stare upon Raditz, "I couldn't even see him move…Not to mention that just staring at him just gives me the chills."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU AND I ARE THE SAME!" shouted an angry Raditz, "You're no earthling! You're a member of the proud Saiyan race, a race made of warriors and considered to be the most powerful race in the universe!"

Goku and his friends all gasped in shock at the revelation.

"I know all this because," as Raditz put up an evil grin, "I am Raditz…and I am your older brother!"

Everyone was completely dumbfounded.

The ninja were speechless, as Naruto looked at Goku and thought, "_So Goku's from outer space too!"_

Krillin and Bulma's mouths both dropped as Krillin stammered, "G…G…Goku's got a brother…!?"

Bulma finished his thought process for him, "and he's an alien…!? N-no way!"

Goku snapped out of shock and snapped back at Raditz, "STOP TALKING NONSENSE!"

Krillin joined in, "Yeah! Besides, if he's an alien, then what's he doing on earth?"

Raditz chuckled, "Heh…heh…heh…The answer is simple," as he began to raise his arms to his side, "Kakarrot was sent here to obliterate each and every one of you earthlings."

Everyone was again, speechless.

Raditz enjoyed the look of shock on their faces, before continuing, "Not only are we Saiyans known around the universe to be amazing warriors, we are also entrepreneurs…Specializing in planet trade…We find hospitable planets, exterminate the local lifeforms, and sell the planet to the highest bidder."

"Full-grown Saiyans handle much more difficult planets than this one, so we sent you Kakarrot, when you were only less than a day old. Even an infant could wipe out a weak planet like this one with ease. Especially since this planet has a moon. With it, it should have taken only a couple years, tops." finished Raditz.

Krillin began to tremble, "If that's true…They make Piccolo seem harmless."

Goku lowered his brows, "Why is having a moon fortunate?"

"Don't be ignorant," chided Raditz as he raised a fist, "When the moon is full is also when Saiyans show their true power."

Roshi, Krillin and Bulma were each in shock as they all realized what he meant and trembled, remembering the great ape.

Goku looked back at Raditz, "I have no clue what you're talking about."

Raditz got angrier, "Don't play du-, "as he noticed Goku was missing his tail. "W-what happened to your tail?"

Goku stood strong, "It was cut off permanently, a few years ago."

Raditz gritted his teeth and held out his right fist towards Goku, visibly losing his temper, "That's why you get along with them so well. You're passing yourself off as one of them!"

"Hey, that's enough," shouted Goku as he too raised a fist, "I don't have a brother! You're just wrong! Even if that was true, I still consider myself an earthling. My name," as he lowered into his fighting stance, "Is Goku…Now get off my planet!" as he exclaimed with a smile.

Naruto and Sakura cheered, "Yeah! You tell him Goku!"

Krillin followed, "Whatever Goku's past was is irrelevant; He's become of the finest human beings to walk the earth…He's even saved the Earth more than once! So do us a favor and leave us alone!"

Naruto and the other ninjas stared at Goku in wonder, "_I never thought that he could be **that** strong."_

Raditz only chuckled, "I'm afraid I can't do that, BALDY…You see, the Saiyans have always been small in number, but that became even more so as our home planet was struck by a meteor…and nearly all of our race was obliterated within the explosion, including our parents, Kakarrot."

Goku and the others were sweating nervously as Raditz continued, holding up four fingers, "There are four of us left, Kakarrot. We all made it because we were on different planets at the time, "doing wrong", as you say.

"The other two and I have been continuing our trade..." continued Raditz as he smirked and raised his hand almost like an invitation, "Recently, we came upon a well-off planet that could be flipped for a high price, but the inhabitants may prove to be a little tough, and three would not be enough to fininsh the job."

His evil grin turned into a full-blown devilish smile as he continued, "We were going to pass, but that's when I remembered you, Kakarrot…Your power level is hardly ideal, but with the four of us…we could tip the scales in our favor."

Raditz raised his voice, putting everyone further on edge, "Picture it, Kakarrot! Wiping out an entire civilization with your bare hands! It is what we Saiyans live for!"

"Are you insane!?" shouted a furious Goku, "I've already told you that I am an earthling now! I would never do something that terrible!"

"Yeah!" chimed in Naruto, "From what I've seen, Goku is not the kind of person to just let that happen, and neither am I!"

Raditz turned to him, "STAY OUT OF THIS, YOU ELEMENTAL BRAT! I've had enough of you Shinobi butting into our conversation!"

The ninja all were in shock. "H-how do you know who we are?" asked Yamato.

"It's easy to tell by your appearance and those symbols on your headbands…Only one race's warriors are primarily made up of ninja," as Raditz smirked at them, "Consider yourselves lucky that your planet hasn't become a target for trade yet! You are the second weakest race next to Earthlings after all."

The ninja all stared in shock. "Second Weakest," mumbled Naruto as he looked down at the dirt.

Raditz now turned back to Goku and said, "Now where were we? Ah, yes. You were denying my gracious offer, well, I guess I'll just have to ask one question that's been bothering me lately…" as he began to smirk with evil intent.

"I've been wondering…That boy behind you, he's yours isn't he?" probed Raditz.

Goku moved to guard Gohan, "N-No!"

Raditz closed his eyes and smiled, "Really!? Then please explain to me as to why he has a tail? That alone is proof of his Saiyan blood. Since you don't listen to reason, I'll have to take him in your place."

"You leave him alone!" shouted Naruto as he sprang into action as his clone had disappeared in a puff of smoke behind him. In his hand, he held a swirling ball of blue light.

Goku followed Naruto's attack and thought, "_What is that technique? It's concentrating quite a decent amount of power."_

"TAKE THIS! **RASENGAN**!" shouted Naruto.

Raditz chuckled, "Rambunctious, aren't we?" as he sidestepped to the right and grabbed Naruto's wrist before using his own momentum to throw him in the ocean.

When Naruto's Rasengan hit the water, it erupted and had created a waterspout, which in turn threw Naruto back on the island hard.

"Owwww," said Naruto. "He was too fast. He dodged the Rasengan like it was nothing. Whoa...I'm dizzy!"

"Of course," chided Raditz, "Watching you come at me was like watching slow motion."

Naruto dipped his head and tried to shake his dizzy spell.

Raditz turned back to Goku and said, "Shall we?" as he began to walk closer to Goku.

"TAKE ONE MORE STEP CLOSER AND I WILL KILL YOU!" shouted a determined Goku.

Raditz raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Time to show you your place, Kakarrot!" as he disappeared right before everyone's eyes and suddenly kneed Goku extremely hard in his stomach, sending him in the sky.

Goku landed in the sand a few yards away and immediately began to cry out in pain, "AAHH-AAAAAAAH!"

"Goku!" cried everyone in shock as he writhed in pain on the ground, grasping his abdomen.

Sakura, Sai, Naruto, and everyone else widened their eyes in shock and collectively thought, _"So Fast!?"_

Gohan had broken from Bulma's grasp and tried to run to his father, "DADDY!"

Raditz was too quick, "Oh no you don't" and grabbed the young boy by his shirt and lifted him up.

Krillin trembled, "He-he beat Goku…with a single kick!" as everyone else got on their guard.

Raditz held up the bawling toddler, "D-d-daddy, p-p-ple-e-ease h-help m-meeeee!"

"Now then Kakarrot, a little incentive…Join me, or your little boy here does…Do what big brother tells you and I'll give him back," said Raditz as he began to deliver an ultimatum. "You'll have ONE earth day to bring a HUNDRED dead humans right on this spot...I will be counting!"

He paused while everyone stared in shock, "Think of it as a show of good faith that you'll join us…I will be looking forward to tomorrow…I only hope that I won't have to kill my only nephew…"

Krillin stuttered, "Y-you wouldn't!"

Naruto regained his footing, "YEAH! Only cowards take children as hostages!"

Sakura, "You're not a warrior, just a coward!"

Yamato waived them off, believing that they may be in over their heads.

Master Roshi said, "Goku would never do anything like that, you scum!"

"Only if he values one hundred lives over his own son's, he won't," countered Raditz, "It doesn't matter much anyway. The other two Saiyans and I plan to come back here after we deal with the other planet…" He began to snicker at the ninjas and Goku's friends.

They all, while in collective unison and shock, shouted, "WHAT!?"

Raditz smirked at the group of Earthlings and Elementals, "My two friends and I could wipe out the human race in just a little under one month. What difference would a hundred lives make now? Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Raditz left them in shock and turned back to Goku, "So you see, little brother, it really doesn't matter what you do! You really have no choice at all! Ha-ha-ha!"

Goku was trembling as he was still in pain, "Give me…back my…Son…!" He reached and got his hand on Raditz' boot, who then shook it off.

"Don't disappoint me, brother. For your sake as well as his," he holds Gohan just out of Goku's reach.

Raditz then pulled Gohan back closer to him and began to lift off the ground. He stopped levitating and looked back down at Goku, "Oh…Don't even try to pick a fight with me…With your weak power level, you wouldn't even stand a chance!"

"DADDY!" cried a bawling Gohan, cradled underneath Raditz' left arm.

"GOHAN!" shouted Goku as he was now on his knees reaching for him with his outstretched right hand.

"SEE YOU TOMORROW, KAKARROT!" shouted Raditz as he began to speed away, laughing, "WA HA HA HA!"

Goku pounded the sand as the rest of the group rushed over to his aid, "YOU…CAN'T DO THIS…!" He began to tremble and coil up, as he mumbled under his breath, "Y-you can't do this…"

The group got over to Goku, and began to check on him.

"Are you alright!?" asked a worried Bulma.

"We're sorry, Goku. We couldn't do anyth-…"

Then Goku flicked his head up and yelled in the sky, "NIMBUUUS!"

The others then tried to grab him and restrain him.

Roshi panicked, "NOW WAIT A MINUTE, DON'T DO ANYTHING RASH!"

Bulma panicked as well, "You can't! You'll get yourself killed!"

Krillin grabbed Goku's gi and shook him, "Do you honestly think that you can take on that monster in the shape you're in?"

Goku tried to pick himself up, but fell back down.

Roshi said, "Now hold on…Let's take a moment to get our bearings and catch a breath."

Sakura kneeled down next to Goku and asked, "Goku, where does it hurt?"

"In my stomach," answered Goku.

Sakura then placed her hands on Goku's stomach.

"W-what're you doing?" asked Goku and the confused Earthlings.

"She's healing him," answered Yamato.

"She's a medical ninja trained by the Medical Ninjutsu master: Tsunade-Sama, our Hokage, or village leader," continued Yamato.

Naruto smiled at Goku and said, "Don't worry! Sakura-Chan is one of the best there is!"

They looked down as an aquamarine chakra began to flow around Sakura's hands, "A-amazing!" said Bulma.

Krillin asked, "I've never seen anyone use Ki like that!"

Sakura responded, "This energy is chakra, Ki is only a part of it. We maintain the balance of chakra by also adding our bodies' own natural energy to it as well."

"Sounds difficult," said Goku.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Yes, it is, especially when the patient of a medic-nin keeps talking."

Goku stopped talking and made an "ok" sign with his hands.

Thirty-seconds later, Sakura was finished healing him and said, "That should do it. He cracked two of your ribs with that kick. It was a tough fix."

"Wow…Thanks!" Goku then began to stand up with ease and faced the group.

Bulma commented while Goku was getting up, "How awful, you find out that you have a brother and it happens to be that guy!"

"It doesn't matter who he is…" as Goku stood up and patted the dust off his gi, "I can never forgive him for this."

"What'll we do now?" asked Krillin, "His strength is off the charts, and he already took you down once. We need a plan, Goku!"

"I already have one," said Goku as he seemed to be focused more than he had seemed to be recently.

Sakura saw this and thought, _"This guy can get so serious! I never knew that naïve man we met two weeks ago was this same guy. Then again," _as she looked over at Naruto who was listening intently on the conversation, "_I used to think the same about him too!"_ She began to smile before turning to hear Goku's plan like the other ninja had.

"I'll grab his tail," said Goku as he relayed his plan, "and he won't be able to move!"

Master Roshi raised his eyebrows as he recalled Goku's past, "That's right! You were the same exact way! That's the Saiyan's weakness!"

Krillin looked perplexed, "But how are you going to manage that Goku?"

Looking down at the ground, Goku answered, "I won't. Not by myself, at least…"

"Now you're talking!" exclaimed Roshi, "We'll help you any way we can! We may not know where Tien Shinhan and Yamcha are at, but…"

Krillin finished, "I-if the three of us work together…"

"Don't count me out yet!" exclaimed Naruto as the group turned and looked at him in shock. "I don't want to see Raditz get away with this either," he began to raise his fist; "I also want to beat his face to a pulp for threatening to hurt Gohan! No one does that in front of me and gets away with it."

Sakura was staring at him in shock, "But Naruto, what about get-…"

"That doesn't matter right now," as Naruto cut her off, "we can't leave our friends in a situation like this! They offered to help us without blinking an eye. Besides, us being here may have jeopardized our own planet anyway."

Sai interjected, "He is correct, Sakura-Chan. That man knew where we are from. If we let him go, the Saiyans could show up at our home and we wouldn't be able to do anything about."

Sakura finally understood, "You're right Naruto, Sai!"

"Still," interrupted Krillin, "We're probably gonna die…Oh! Wait! If we died, Bulma could revive us with the Dragon Balls, right?" as he turned to Bulma with hope.

Bulma pounded on her chest, "You can count on me!"

"It won't work Krillin," Goku said with a concerned expression on his face, "She can't revive you and Kame-Sennin. I learned that the same wish cannot be made twice…and you and Kame-Sennin have already been revived once, so you wouldn't come back at all!" He paused a moment, then continued, "I am sorry to ask, but will you still help me?"

"Of course we will!" shouted Roshi.

"Absolutely," agreed Krillin, "Without a moment's hesitation!" He then looked down to the ground in depression and thought to himself, _"No coming back…Now I'll never get a girlfriend."_

"What if we just gather the Dragon Balls and wish for Shenlong to defeat the Saiyans?" asked Bulma.

Krillin brightened back up, ""Bulma, you're a genius!"

"Sorry to rain on your parade," said Master Roshi, "but we wouldn't be able to get all of the Dragon Balls in time to stop him. Plus, we have our new friends to think about as well," as he glanced toward the ninjas.

Yamato looked towards his team, who each gave him a nod of agreement, and turned back to Roshi smiling, "We wouldn't mind. We wouldn't want to doom a whole planet of people just to save ourselves."

Roshi smiled, "We still wouldn't get them all together in time, and they're all around the planet."

Yamato and the other ninja dipped their heads a little in disappointment, before turning to Goku, "Still, it it's the same to you, Team Kakashi is in!"

Goku smiled, "Thanks guys!" He then turned to the entire group, "He won't expect an attack. We can sneak up on him and catch him off guard."

Krillin asked, "Umm, Goku? How are we going to find him anyway?"

Goku turned to Bulma, "Hey Bulma? Is the Dragon Radar with you?"

Naruto was puzzled, "Dragon Radar?"

Bulma turned to him and answered, "Yeah. It picks up the Dragon Ball's energy wavelength on the radar screen, which reveals a Dragon Ball's location!" She turned back to Goku, "It's right here in my pocket! You are planning on tracking the one on Gohan's hat, aren't you?"

Goku's face was serious, "Yes. We need to start looking at the radar now please."

"Okay, here it is" as the display lit up and the whole group of eight crowded around the small, hand-held Dragon Radar. Yellow dots began flashing on the radar's green screen as Bulma clicked the switch. She pointed at one dot in particular that seemed to be moving at high speed, "There! That's got to be them!"

Sakura noticed it stopped, "Hey, it stopped!"

Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness he's still on Earth!"

"That's good for us!" said Goku and the others began to look in the direction Raditz took off in.

"We might beat him!" said Krillin, as he was still nervous and thought, "_However unlikely…"_

"We will beat him, I swear it!" proclaimed Naruto as he raised his fist.

The other ninja nodded in agreement.

"It's always good to be optimistic…" said a nervous Master Roshi.

"YOU GUYS DON'T STAND A CHANCE!" said a random voice from somewhere close.

"Huh?" said Krillin as the group of eight looked around to see who it was.

Goku and his Earthling friends looked up and were immediately shocked to see Piccolo, "IT'S PICCOLO!" they all shouted.

The ninja all looked puzzled, "Piccolo?"

Krillin told them without turning away from Piccolo and got into his fighting stance, "He and Goku fought five years ago in the World Martial Arts Tournament. It was a battle to decide the fate of the world. Goku beat Piccolo, but barely survived the encounter. They're mortal enemies now."

Naruto leaned over to Krillin, "Why is he green?"

"I heard that! Brat," snarled Piccolo after his pointy ears twitched.

"Never mind…! Sorry!" said Naruto as he back away slowly.

Bulma crawled away in sheer terror, "EEEE-YAAA!"

Goku was on his guard, "What're you doing here, Piccolo?"

"I want him dead, same as you," responded the calm and collected Piccolo.

"You know him!?" asked Goku as the rest of the group was thinking the same thing.

"I had an encounter with him earlier; he took one of my full-powered blasts head-on like it was nothing. You guys don't have a prayer against him right now."

The other members of the group lowered their heads, discouraged.

Piccolo continued, "I'm the best chance you have to win, Goku. You know that he's stronger than both of us."

Goku was skeptical, "What do you mean?"

"We're no match for him separately, we'd be outmatched, but if we fought together," as Piccolo turned to Naruto, "and with that brat's attack, which we all just saw him use, could come in handy," as he turned back to Goku, "The three of us might be able to overpower him!"

Goku was still skeptical, "What exactly do you get out of this?"

Piccolo answered, "Don't take it the wrong way, but I couldn't care less if your son lives or dies. That guy stands in the way of my plans for world domination." Piccolo began to smile and raised his fist, "We'll fight together, but once he and his friends are taken care of…You'll be next, Goku, and I'll beat you for certain this time!"

Goku began to smile back, but was still serious, "You're welcome to try…But you have a point, our best chance is for you, me and Naruto to fight together."

"I'm game," said Naruto while smiling and with determination in his eyes and walked towards Goku and Piccolo, but Sakura stopped him and he turned back. "What is it Sakura-Chan?"

"Naruto…Please don't go…We…no, I need you. I can't lose you. I already miss Sasuke and if you-…" as tears began to form in her eyes when Naruto stopped her.

Naruto wiped one of the tears off her face and said, "Don't worry, Sakura-Chan. I won't leave you for long. I'll be back, I promise," as he smiled.

Sakura became reassured and smiled back, "Okay…You promised…Be careful."

"I will Sakura-Chan." Said Naruto as he let go of Sakura and started to walk over to Piccolo and Goku.

"If he's going, then I'm going t-…" said Yamato before Piccolo cut him off.

"No…You'll only get in the way. It'd be best if you all stayed here," said Piccolo.

"He's right," agreed Goku.

"Naruto, remember to control your anger. I won't be there to stop it if it tries to break lose again," warned Yamato.

Naruto knew exactly what he meant as he remembered how the Kyuubi had managed to send them to Earth in the first place, and answered, "I will. Thanks Captain Yamato!" as he waved to him and the others.

Goku turned to Piccolo and smiled, "So it seems we're really doing this, huh? After we get this done though, all bets are off!"

"So be it," agreed Piccolo, "I just hope I can choke back the Nausea."

They extended their arms and shook hands in agreement.

Goku then turned and called "NIMBUS!" again, and the little yellow cloud came speeding down toward his side. "Naruto hop on my back. I doubt Piccolo would be as accommodating."

Naruto did as he said, as Piccolo grunted, "Hmph."

"Think you can keep up with Nimbus, Piccolo?" asked Goku as he hopped on Nimbus with Naruto on his back.

"Hmph," snorted Piccolo, "My flying technique is superior to your little cloud!"

"LET'S GO!" shouted Naruto as he raised his fist into the air.

With that, the three fighters were off to face a menacing foe! While Sakura thought to herself, _"Be Safe Naruto,"_ as she watched them fly away.

**END OF CHAPTER 3**

* * *

**Goku, Naruto, and Piccolo are now on their way to stop Raditz and save Gohan! Will they be successful? ;) Can Naruto control the Kyuubi on his own!? Who will make it back alive? Find out in the next chapter of: The Z-Ninja!**

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Whew! I can't believe that took so long, but there was so much that I needed to cover in that chapter before they all met Raditz. It was interesting to write though, so that kept me going. After racking my brain and debating with another reader, I decided to get the basic Ki-chakra explanation out of the way. It hurt my brain thinking about it too much.**

**NARUTO: It hurts mine too!**

**ME: Shouldn't you be going somewhere?**

**NARUTO: Aww, yeah…Crap! Goku, wait up!**

**Well, at least the number 1, show-off, unpredictable ninja: Uzumaki Naruto can probably give Raditz a run for his money and also distract him, but you'll have to read the next chapter to find out! **

**Ha-Ha-Ha! Suspense kills, doesn't it? Read my little readers, read! LOL!**

**For tonight, I need to take a break from writing, but I promise there will be more to come soon!**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**-Bruman**

**P.S. PLEASE REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW!**


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontation

**The Z-Ninja: A Naruto Shippuden and Dragon Ball Z Crossover**

**ME: Sorry it took so long to write this chapter. I have been busy lately, and I hope you understand. I have decided to split up the chapter since it's been taking so long, and I know you guys want me to keep the story coming. **

**I have also been brainstorming ideas and taking feedback and I have taken some ideas into consideration. Whether they make it into the story or not is yet to be seen.**

**Anyway, let's get the disclaimer out of the way, so that you all can get to the story!**

**Since Naruto, Goku and Piccolo have left to stop Raditz, I have chosen to ask Sai to say the disclaimer for me today!**

**SAI: Thank you for having me, lazy-ass!**

**ME: Um...What did you just call me?**

**SAI:****I called you Lazy-Ass. It's my new nickname for you!**

**ME: WHAAAAAT! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT!**

**SAI: (fake smile) I was only giving you a nickname. I read in a book that you can use the characteristics of a person to give them a nickname. Since you took so long to write this chapter, I figured that the nickname stuck.**

**ME: Of COURSE NOT! YOU CLUELESS IDIOT…! I have been busy with midterms coming up and I have other priorities as well, so the story was put on the back burner, so to speak. AND MY NICKNAME IS BRU! GOT IT!?**

**SAI: Oh, I see…I will have to keep write that down. (Gets out pocket book and writes something in it)**

**ME: You…need to get out more Sai. The only way to improve your social skills is by getting out there and gaining first-hand experience.**

**SAI: I will have to remember that as well, (writes in pocket book some more).**

**ME: (Sighs) You still don't get what I am saying do you? Never mind, we'll go over this later. Now, please say the disclaimer. The readers have waited long enough for this to start.**

**SAI: Very well, Bru does not own the rights to the original Dragonball/Z/GT or Naruto.**

**ME: Good, now please wait over there while I get them going!**

**SAI: Understood, Bru Sensei. I'm looking forward to your social lessons.**

**ME: **_**"Huh? I'm Bru Sensei now. Cool! I guess he's not so bad after all."**_** (Turns back to you readers) Okay! Now that that's taken care of, let's get this show going!**

**Please enjoy, review, favorite and follow!**

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**CHAPTER 4: Confrontation**

_En Route to Raditz's Location:_

Naruto, Piccolo, and Goku were flying on their way towards Raditz's location. Naruto was holding on to Goku's back while he rode on the Nimbus Cloud. Piccolo flew alongside to their immediate right.

Naruto was looking over Goku's shoulder at the Dragon Radar. Naruto noticed that Gohan's dot was starting to drift a little to the right of the screen, so he pointed it out to Goku, "Goku, look," as he pointed and showed Goku the little dot, "I think we need to turn a little to the right."

"You're right, Naruto!" Goku then looked back towards Piccolo and signaled him to go right.

Piccolo nodded as they each banked and began to angle right.

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at Kame House:_

Sakura, Sai, Yamato, Krillin, Roshi, and Bulma were all staring up into the sky at where Goku, Piccolo, and Naruto had just departed from.

Sakura thought to herself, "_Naruto…be saf_e!"

She kept staring up at the sky as Krillin turned to Roshi and said, "I-I don't know if we can trust Piccolo. All he wanted to do before was kill us! He'll probably turn on Goku, or worse, team up with the other guy!"

Sakura began to get interested in the conversation, and turned towards them to hear more.

"Goku and Piccolo are the two strongest warriors the Earth has to offer!" argued Master Roshi, "Not to mention they also have Naruto with them as well for backup."

"That's what worries me about not going," interrupted Yamato, as Sakura and the others turned to hear what he was going to say. "I think it's time to tell you why Team Kakashi ended up on Earth in the first place."

"We didn't know how you all might handle this information," continued Yamato, "but since I need your help in getting to Naruto, telling you all about who Naruto really is."

Sakura turned and saw the looks of Roshi, Krillin, and Bulma. She saw their looks of confusion, as she began to remember what Yamato had told her, Naruto, and Sai two weeks ago,

* * *

**FLASHBACK BEGINS**

_**Two Weeks Earlier- Outside Kame House-First Night on Earth.**_

_It was nighttime outside; the crescent moon was bright, lighting up Kame House and the small island upon which it stood. The four Konohagakure ninjas were outside sitting in the sand, with Naruto, Sakura and Sai facing Yamato as they held a small team meeting._

_Sakura noticed that Yamato was about to begin, when she heard Naruto break the silence instead, "YAAAAAWN! What's this meeting for, Captain Yamato? It's been a long day and we're all tired, can't we just go to bed."_

_Sakura turned back to Yamato who was frowning slightly at Naruto, "No. We have to discuss this between ourselves before we spend more time with these people okay. We need to get some things straight."_

_Sakura noticed that Naruto began to perk up a little, and that Sai looked interested as well. So, Sakura turned back towards Yamato and nodded for him to continue._

"_We do not wish to put our hosts on edge in concern as to who we are," said Yamato, "so we must keep a specific detail from them." Yamato turned to Naruto, "You're especially going to have pay attention to what you are saying for the next couple of weeks."_

_Sakura saw that Naruto was confused and tried to clarify, "It's because you're not the greatest keeper of secrets, Naruto."_

_Naruto frowned, then crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, "I can keep a secret when I want to!"_

"_No. I meant that you have the biggest secret to keep, Naruto, because the secret is your own," interjected Yamato._

_Sakura began to feel confused, and she turned to see that Naruto had no clue as to where Yamato was going with this either. Sai seemed to be lost in thought and she assumed that it had something to do with them taking and hiding his picture book earlier in the day._

_Sakura turned back to Yamato as Naruto said, "What are you talking about? What secret?"_

_Yamato sighed and got to the point, "I'm talking about the Kyuubi, Naruto."_

_Sakura widened her eyes in realization, "Of Course!" as she turned to see Naruto, who was still confused. _

_Naruto questioned in response, "Why do I have to keep it a secret? Everybody in Konoha alrea-…Oh," as Naruto stopped mid-sentence, finally realizing what Yamato meant. "No one here on Earth except for us knows about the Kyuubi being sealed inside me, and they don't know what power it has either."_

"_Exactly," said Yamato. "I am not sure that Master Roshi and Krillin would continue to keep letting us stay here if they did."_

_Sakura agreed and turned to Naruto, "He's right, Naruto. We need to keep it a secret as long as possible. The idea of the Kyuubi alone could unsettle them enough to not trust us."_

"_Square one…" said Naruto as he lowered his head, apparently upset. "All that work and time to win over everyone back at the village…Oh well, it's different this time," as Sakura smiled at Naruto while he raised his head back up and continued, "I'll keep the secret for now, Captain Yamato. That way it'd be easier for them to accept me as a Jinchuuriki after already getting to know me."_

"_That's only part one Naruto. Part two is the real reason as to why I am here," said Yamato._

_Sakura, Naruto, and Sai leaned in as Yamato explained his purpose for being there to them,_

**FLASHBACK ENDS**

* * *

_Kame House: Yamato's Revelation:_

Yamato sighed and began, "I have to start at the beginning. It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it brief."

Bulma said, "Ok. Enlighten us."

Roshi and Krillin simply nodded for him to continue.

Yamato nodded in return and started to tell them, "On our world, there are five Great Hidden Ninja Villages, each within a land run by a feudal lord…" as Sakura saw how intently and focused Goku's friends were in listening to this.

Yamato continued, "Each village is run by the Kage. We are members of Konoha, the Leaf Village, and our Kage is known as the Hokage, which is also the highest rank a ninja can achieve. Lady Tsunade, our current Hokage and Godaime (Fifth Hokage), and Sakura's Sensei, is considered to be the strongest of all the Kage." as Goku's friends looked to Sakura for confirmation, so she nodded.

Goku's friends turned back to Yamato in shock as he continued, "The Leaf Village is considered the most powerful ninja village on our planet, but that doesn't mean there is no power struggle…Each village sought to gain an edge over each other in terms of power, so our ninja ancestors sought to control the most powerful sources of chakra on our planet, the Bijuu (_Tailed Beasts)…"_

Sakura watched as Krillin stuttered, "Bijuu?"

Yamato nodded and continued, "There are nine Bijuu that exist on Element, each with a different number of tails, from one to nine, which also indicate the most powerful Bijuu. The more tails a Bijuu has, the stronger it is…"

"Konoha's Bijuu is one of the reasons that it's so strong," said Sakura as she took over for Yamato, "It is known as the Kyuubi, or Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. The power and amount of Chakra it holds are off the charts."

"How far off the charts?" asked Roshi, as the looks on Krillin's and Bulma's faces told her that they wanted to know to.

Yamato took the explanation back over from there, "To put it bluntly, the Kyuubi is nothing but pure energy in the massive physical form of a fox."

Sakura looked over at Sai while Yamato continued. Sai was drawing something on his scroll, and when he finished, he made a hand seal and said, "**NINPO: CHOJUU-GIGA (Ninja Art: Beast Art Mimicry),**" and several small ink bird drawings came to life and flew off. Sai noticed that she saw and explained, "I made them for surveillance, so they could find them and I could fill you all in as the battle progresses."

Sakura smiled at Sai, "Good thinking, Sai!"

Sakura turned back to hear Yamato who continued his explanation, "The village was nearly wiped out by the Kyuubi…Many ninja, parents, children were lost that day, including Yondaime Hokage (4th), who gave his life while stopping the Kyuubi and sealed it into a newborn infant boy. That was sixteen years ago. That boy, was Naruto, and he still carries the Kyuubi as we speak, being one known as a Jinchuuriki, or host to a tailed-beast."

"I-I never thought that guy had that much power in him. Wouldn't that help us in this type of situation?" asked Bulma as Sakura saw a look of hope in Bulma's eyes.

"No. In the past, Naruto had been "borrowing" the Kyuubi's chakra to use as his own, but the Kyuubi always lent him power with the intent of escaping Naruto's body," said Yamato.

As his face became extremely serious Yamato continued, "Recently, Yondaime's seal has begun to weaken, making it easier for the Kyuubi to influence and possibly fool Naruto into accidently freeing it…In times of anger, the Kyuubi's chakra manifests itself around his entire body and is essentially a shroud of made of its chakra… It forms tails as Naruto's anger and power increases. With each tail, his control weakens, and he can even lose consciousness, allowing the Kyuubi to take over and control his body…This is bad because the cloak can injure Naruto as well…It is for that reason of preventing the Nine-Tails from taking over Naruto and freeing itself, that I am here."

"How are you supposed to do that?" asked a confused Bulma.

"My Mokuton Ninjutsu and the necklace Naruto wears around his neck work together to suppress the Kyuubi if Naruto begins to lose control…He was losing control when the Kyuubi created the shockwave which opened the portal that sent us here…I would have had to step in if things had gotten farther," finished Yamato.

"So," began Krillin, "You're saying that if Naruto loses his temper, and the Kyuubi takes control, with you not there…Then the Kyuubi would turn on Goku and Piccolo as well?"

"Yes, not only that…but if Naruto loses complete control, the Kyuubi escapes and causes widespread destruction, and…" answered Yamato before pausing.

"Well," said an impatient Bulma, "We're waiting…"

"He DIES…" Yamato answered with a solemn expression on his face.

Krillin, Bulma and Roshi were in complete shock.

"That's terrible…" Bulma said as she looked to the ground.

Sakura was in complete shock, as time seemed to stop as this realization hit her hard. She thought _"N-Naruto…You've been using this power all this time…taking such a risk to fulfill that promise to me three years ago."_ Guilt began to wash over her as she lowered her head and continued to think, "_I have created such a burden on you…But you don't need to carry it alone anymore…" _

Sakura remembered her training and growth as a kunoichi , before making up her mind, "_We can do it together, Naruto!"_

Sakura then lifted up her head, and with a determined smile on her face, turned to the group and said, "What are we waiting for?"

Roshi, after thinking to himself for a second, proclaimed "YES! There's no time to waste!" He turned to Bulma, who had a look of determination on her face as well, and said, "Bulma…Fire up jets of yours! We're going after them!"

Bulma nodded, "Yes…But I can't fit all of you."

Sai smiled and interrupted, "That's okay…I can take some of us with my Choju Giga."

Yamato looked towards the others, "All right…It's settled then. We go."

As the others prepared to go, Sakura put her hand to her heart and thought to herself once again, _"Don't get yourself killed, Naruto…Your friends are coming to help."_

* * *

_Meanwhile, at Raditz's Space Pod:_

Raditz had just finished checking on his pod, and was climbing out of the crater in which it sat to go get Gohan.

Raditz stood upon the edge of the crater, turning from side to side, looking around for where his nephew had hidden himself.

The field that the space pod had crashed in was wide open, and sat in a valley with mountains towards the east. Everything was calm and peaceful, with birds singing their songs in the background. Next to the crater, stood the farmer's blue pickup truck, which was totaled by the bullet that Raditz used to kill the farmer.

Gohan was using this truck to hide, specifically behind one of the tires. He peered around the tire to get a better view of his uncle, who was slowly walking towards him and the truck.

Gohan sobbed, "Hic-hic…I-I don't like him…That big jerk…! I hate him!"

Raditz overheard Gohan and thought, "_Hmmm…a jerk, am I? Well, I can live with that, hah!" _He began to smile as he decided to mess with Gohan some more.

Upon reaching the truck, Raditz pulled back his left arm, and unleashed a punch straight through the truck's engine, startling Gohan. He grabbed hold and began to lift up the truck with relative ease, revealing the young 4 year old who was hiding behind one of the tires. He was holding up one of his arms from fear, which made Raditz chuckle upon seeing his reaction.

"You mean that you hate this..." said Raditz as he pointed to himself with his free hand, smiling, and continued, "Big Jerk…Ha-ha-ha-ha."

Gohan was fed up with his diabolical uncle, so he yelled back, "Big deal…My daddy can lift up a truck too!"

Raditz began to have a full smile as he said back in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, really! I guess I should go run and hide! HA!"

"Yeah, he's gonna beat you up!" shouted back Gohan.

Raditz put on a serious scowl before saying, "I don't think so," before releasing a blast from his hand, completely eradicating the truck.

Gohan had to shield his eyes from the blast, but when he was able to look back, all he saw was Raditz arm where the truck should have been. Realizing how dangerous Raditz was, Gohan began to bawl, "WAAAAH…! I WANT TO GO HOME!"

Raditz began to scowl in disgust, saying, "Stop crying and show some pride. You are part Saiyan too, after all."

Gohan continued to cry, ignoring Raditz's words, irritating him.

Raditz snarled, "Shut up!" Yet Gohan still cried so he Raditz picked him up and bagan to walk towards the crater, before saying, "Fine…If you won't be quiet…I will put you in time out till you calm down."

Raditz reached down and picked up the young boy by his collar. Gohan bawled and cried out, "Let me go! Please, let me go!"

Raditz ignored him brought him down to the space pod, where he threw the young boy inside. "There…You can stay in there until you quiet down," said a relieved Raditz.

Gohan turned around as the door shut, locking him inside. He pounded on the glass shouting, "Let me out! Let me out!"

Raditz turned around and walked out of the crater. Upon reaching the top, he sighed and said, "Finally…I don't have to listen to that brat cry anymore."

He kept his frown on as he looked at his surroundings and thought, "_Now…I need to find something to eat…" _

Just after he finished his thought, his scouter turned on automatically, flashing numbers on the small screen in front of his left eye, sensing a power level.

He looked closely at the power reading before he grit his teeth in shock.

"_WHAT…!" _thought Raditz, _"A power level of 710…and it's close…Where is it coming from?"_

He followed the arrow on the scouter's screen until he came to face his own space pod.

A sense of relief washed over him before he said, "Stupid machine…Must be malfunctioning…There's no way that a mere child should have that kind of power level, even if he's Saiyan…Humph."

With his irritation at the scouter's reading visible on his face, Raditz shut off the scouter and began to search for food.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Naruto, Goku, and Piccolo were Still En Route to Raditz:_

After a moment of silence among the three, Naruto speaks up, "Um…do we even have a plan?"

"Yeah," said Goku turning his head slightly to look at Naruto through the corner of his eye. "We go in low and surp-"

"That won't work, he knows we're coming," said Piccolo who turned his eyes toward Goku and Naruto, keeping his face forward.

Goku and Naruto both turned back in confusion and shock, "What!?"

"That device on his ear," answered Piccolo, "It can somehow sense power levels and reveal their exact location. That's how he found us the first time."

"So we can't sneak up on him…Darn it!" said Naruto in a little bit of frustration.

"We'll just have to fight him head on!" exclaimed Goku.

Piccolo turned to Goku and said, "Really, that's what only you and I should do, Goku." before redirecting his gaze at Naruto, "Naruto, on the other hand, might get demolished if he tried that."

"SPEAK FOR YOURSELF GREEN MAN!" retorted Naruto, "I CAN HANDLE MYSELF!"

"You're too slow to face him, brat!" responded Piccolo, "He threw you and your jutsu to the side in the blink of an eye, remember?"

"Ah…Yeah, he did…" said Naruto as he remembered his failed attempt to hit Raditz with a Rasengan. "Then what should I do?" he asked Piccolo.

"OK," began Piccolo, laying out the plan, "Goku and I will charge and face him head on, you will stay back and watch-"

"I came to help though," said an upset Naruto.

"I think he was getting to that Naruto," said Goku, who turned and smiled at Naruto, "let him finish."

Naruto nodded and listened as Piccolo continued from where he was cut off, "You are to hang back and watch. You're a ninja, right?" as Naruto nodded in response and Piccolo continued, "Then you should be well trained in studying an opponent's weakness."

Naruto smiled, before saying, "Yeah, a little bit."

"Then that's the first part of what you'll do," continued Piccolo, "The second, is for you to time your attack with that jutsu of yours…It's powerful enough that it could do some serious damage."

Naruto smiled, "So I'm supposed to wait for an opening, and use my Rasengan? What if he still sees me coming?"

"Then it will only help us further," answered Piccolo.

"Huh?" asked Goku and Naruto in confusion.

"Since Goku and I will already be close to him, if you get his attention with your attack, then we will have the time to grab his tail," answered Piccolo.

"Great plan Piccolo!" said Goku as his face lit up with an optimistic smile.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" cheered Naruto as he nearly fell off Goku's back when he put both fists in the air, "Ahh! I'm slipping!"

Goku grabbed hold of him and pulled him back on, "Whew, close one there!"

Naruto grabbed hold and said, "Thanks Goku! You're a life-saver!"

Goku smiled and turned forward, thinking, "_Hang tight, Gohan…We're almost there."_

* * *

_Meanwhile, back at Raditz's space pod:_

Raditz got up from eating his meal that consisted of a tiger and some fruit and threw down what appeared to be one of the tiger's ribs, before saying, "I'll cook the meat next time."

Raditz turned and began to walk back to his pod, but halfway there, his scouter beeped and began to pick up another reading. He pushed the button on the scouter and scoffed in frustration, "Still getting the same reading from that kid…710…I should have brought the manual. This thing is still going haywire. Piece of junk!"

Just as Raditz was about to turn off the scouter, it began to beep and pick up something else, surprising him a bit. "_What! A power level of 800…No, there are three of them…"_ thought Raditz as focused on the location to which the reading was coming from. "_The small one is 150…the next is at 320…and the last one is 330…hmmm…Kakarrot has a level of 330, but he wouldn't come here…He knows he can't beat me, besides, he should have no idea where I am."_

"Humph…This thing is driving me crazy," said Raditz as he shut off the scouter. He was about to turn and get some rest when the scouter immediately went off again, indicating the source of power was now close.

"What!?" said Raditz as he turned around in shock, only to see Goku, Piccolo, and Naruto about to land right in front of him. "_Kakarrot really is here," _thought Raditz, "_T-then that means my scouter is correct." _He had turned back to his space pod once again and thought, "_That means his kid really has a 710 power level…No, it's impossible for a child that small to have that high a power level. I'm sure of it!"_

Goku, Naruto and Piccolo landed just as Raditz turned to face them. They each stood tall and faced Raditz with a confident and determined look upon their faces.

Raditz shook off his shock at Gohan's power level and smirked at the three who stood in front of him. "So, you brought the Elemental brat and the green man…I guess you are more resourceful than I thought. Where are the bodies you promised?"

Goku gritted his teeth in anger and raised his fist towards Raditz before shouting, "No…I would never do that! I'm here to get my son back! Where is he!?"

Raditz nonchalantly pointed over his shoulder and answered, "Over there, in my space pod. He needed a time out."

Naruto clenched his fists and said, "why you," under his breath.

Goku ran over to the crater's edge and saw Gohan through the window. He shouted down, "I'll save you soon Gohan!"

"Don't get too hasty Kakarrot!" interrupted Raditz, "I strongly urge you to reconsider my offer."

Goku clenched his fists and shouted, "I SAID NEVER!"

"Well, have it your way then," said Raditz with a slight grin, "I didn't come here to kill you, but it seems that I have no choice. The Elemental and the green man won't help…They're just insignificant flies."

"I've heard enough of his words," said Piccolo as he grabbed his turban and cloak before taking them off and throwing them toward the side, to which they landed on the ground with a heavy thud.

"_What the hell!?" _thought Naruto as he stared at Piccolo without his weighted clothing. Piccolo had revealed his bald head and antennae, as well as the rest of his purple gi.

Goku looked at Piccolo with curiosity before Goku smiled at Piccolo and said, "So you wear weighted clothing too, Piccolo."

"_Weighted clothing?" _thought Naruto as he was dumbfounded.

Raditz scouter beeped, and he thought, "_What!?_ _His power level just jumped to 408!"_

"Yeah…Just like you. Heh…I haven't felt this light in ages." responded Piccolo, who grabbed his neck and stretched it out.

"Yep, looks like we've both been pushing ourselves," as Goku began to take slip off the top of his gi and remove his weighted undershirt, before he started taking off his wristbands and boots. They each hit the ground with more solid thuds.

Naruto was speechless, _"I-I can't believe they had that much weight on themselves. That's crazy!"_

Raditz widened his eyes as his saw Goku's new reading, _"415! Just by taking off clothes! No matter, it's still not enough."_

Goku had stood back up and slipped the top of his gi back on and stretched himself out, "Oh…So much better!" Once he was done stretching, he looked back to Raditz with a grin and said, "Now we can have a good fight!"

"You think that will be enough to beat to beat me!? HA-HA-HA!" said Raditz as he laughed in their faces. Goku and the others gritted their teeth in anger at his laughter. Raditz finished laughing and smirked, "You really don't know your place, especially you, Blondie."

"Huh?" asked Naruto as he was caught a little off guard by his comment.

Raditz continued to grin at him, "You've been rather quiet. Have you lost your nerve? Why don't you go home to mommy and daddy?"

Naruto was hurt a little by the comment and held his head down.

"Too bad they're on another planet!" said a chuckling Raditz.

Naruto tightened his fist in anger before saying, "It doesn't matter…I never knew my parents…They both died soon after I was born…I have been an orphan for my whole life."

Goku looked back at Naruto with a sad look on his face and thought, _"Naruto…I never would have thought that about you…You're just so upbeat...It must have been hard for you."_

"Awww, poor little Elemental…" mocked Raditz, "Then I guess since no one was there for you, that you want me to put you out of your misery?"

Naruto was getting angry as he clenched his fist even harder before raising it towards Raditz and saying, "NO! I made a promise to someone that I would not die."

"All the more reason for you to run," said Raditz as he started to mock Naruto some more, "I do plan on killing the lot of you if you stay and fight."

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I'M NOT RUNNING!" shouted Naruto, "I am going to make sure that Gohan won't have to go through what I did…" Naruto then stood straight up with a confident pose, pointed at Raditz, and declared, "I will help beat you."

"Too bad, I guess I will have to make you a liar," said Raditz with an evil smirk.

"YOU TALK TOO MUCH!" shouted Naruto as he charged straight for Raditz.

"_That idiot forgot the plan!" _thought Piccolo in shock.

"Naruto, wait!" said Goku, reaching for Naruto to stop.

Naruto ignored them, and kept running towards Raditz, who said, "Looks like you're in a hurry to die!"

Naruto's anger and determination showed on his face as he made hand seals then shouted, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** and seven shadow clones appeared running next to Naruto.

"What!?" said Goku with a shocked expression, "He can use Tien's multiform technique!"

"No, it's a little different. Those aren't just copies of him, they each have their own separate power…Can't you sense it?" asked Piccolo.

Goku regained his serious face and responded, "Now that you mention it…Yeah…I do sense them. Plus, you can only have four copies using multiform."

"How interesting." said Raditz as he stared down the impending attack with a smirk.

The lead Naruto clone took out a kunai and chucked it at Raditz, who easily avoided it by stepping to his right. The clone then tried to punch Raditz in the face, but Raditz quickly tilted his head and punched the clone in his stomach, causing him to disappear in a puff of smoke, shocking Raditz. Naruto and his clones kept charging and tried to take advantage of Raditz momentary lapse in concentration as six of them charged at Raditz, throwing tons of punches and kicks to no avail, for Raditz had already regained his composure.

"Interesting technique you have there," said Raditz as he dodged the many punches and kicks with relative ease, "But that's enough playtime for now!" Raditz attacked back, punching one of the clones in the face, dispelling him. Next he dodged kick to the face from the next and roundhouse kicked him in the back, dispelling him. He then dodged attacks from three clones simultaneously, then countered so fast that Naruto couldn't even see it.

Naruto stared in shock as he saw the last three clones disappear at once, "C-crap…He was so fast…He took them all out in an instant!"

Raditz stood up and crossed his arms with an evil smirk on his face. "So…You're all that's left…Which means you're the real. It's time to die!"

"CRAP!" shouted Naruto as Raditz fired an energy blast at Naruto. He didn't have time to react and was blown back about 40 yards. His body lay lifeless on the ground.

"NARUTO!" shouted Goku upon seeing him get blasted.

"Relax," said a grinning Piccolo.

Goku angrily shouted at Piccolo, "What do you mean!? He just killed him! How can you be so heartless?"

"How can you be so naïve? Besides, you and Raditz both missed something Goku. Just keep watching," said Piccolo as he continued to stare forward at the fight.

"Huh!?" was all Goku could manage as he turned back towards Naruto's body with a bewildered look on his face.

"It looks like the brat is finished," said a grinning Raditz, "I knew he wouldn't be much of a challenge."

Just then, Naruto's body disappeared in a puff of smoke, shocking both Goku and Raditz.

"What!?" growled Raditz. "It was just another clone!"

"Wow. That was a really clever move, Naruto," said Goku as he smiled.

Piccolo crossed his arms and grinned, "I told you didn't I?"

Raditz suddenly gasped in shock as he remembered that Naruto had made 7 clones, so there were eight of them in total. He looked around for Naruto but couldn't find him, "There were eight of him, darn it! Where's the real one!?"

"RIGHT HERE!" shouted Naruto as he fell towards Raditz from the sky with his arm pulled back, ready to launch his Rasengan straight into Raditz's face. "**RASENGAN!"**

"_WHAT!?"_ thought Raditz, "_How could I be so careless!?" _He grit his teeth as he prepared to take action.

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

**So the number one most unpredictable ninja has done it again, catching Raditz off-guard. Will it be enough to stop him, and of not, how do Goku and Piccolo plan to fight him then?**

**Find out in the next chapter of The Z-Ninja!**

* * *

**Author's Note: ****Yeah, I know you guys wanted me to cover the whole fight in this chapter, but I have some great ideas in mind for the rest of the battle that I'm sure you would like. It would take too long to cover it all in one chapter, so that's my reasoning for that.**

**I also wanted to make it clear that this story is in third person omniscient, in which the narrator knows each character's thoughts and feelings. I felt this needed to be clarified after seeing a certain review, and I believe it creates more character depth from a chapter to chapter basis.**

**I really want to thank you all for putting up with this long period between chapters. I can get spacey sometimes thanks to my ADD, which can impede my work, so I hope you understand!**

**Also, on a final note, I kept the Kyuubi as a secret to help further the Sakura-Naruto bond a little. Her feelings on this matter will tie into the next chapter, you'll just have to see how. I hope this will keep you all satisfied until I get the next chapter out!**

**PLEASE READ, REVIEW, FAV, FOLLOW! Your feedback helps me so much, and the positive feedback motivates me to write more, so don't hold back!**

**Thanks,**

**Bru Sensei.**


	5. Chapter 5: Forgiveness Hurts

**The Z-Ninja: A Naruto Shippuden and DBZ Crossover**

* * *

**A/N: **Hello everybody, I know you guys have been patient, waiting for my next chapter and all, so I decided to reward you with my next special guest. Even though I have no idea how I got in here, I present to you all…The Kyuubi!

**KYUUBI:** …_NARUTO, HAVE YOU COME SEEKING MORE OF MY POWER?_

**ME:** Ummm…I am not Naruto. My name's Bru! I have come to ask you something.

**KYUUBI:** …_I WON'T BELITTLE MYSELF WITH YOUR PETTY QUESTIONS! (Reaches through his gate trying to grab and crush me, but just can't reach). GRRH! YOU PEST!_

**ME:** …It's more of a request.

**KYUUBI**_**:**__ I DON'T CARE!_

**ME:** If you don't calm down and do what I say, I am going to have to torture you!

**KYUUBI:** …_THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO TORTURE ME, YOU WORTHLESS HUMAN!_

**ME:** Really!? Okay, you asked for it! (I take out my IPOD and scroll through songs till I find the one I am looking for, then I smile) I will play this song non-stop until you cooperate, (I start playing "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" by Ylvis.)

(The verses begin to play)

**KYUUBI:** _DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THIS CHILDISH SONG WOULD HAVE ANY EFFECT ON ME!?_

**ME:** (Smiling) Wait for it!

(Music playing: "but there's one sound…that no one knows…WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY!?")

**KYUUBI:** (widening eyes in shock) _WHAT!?_

(The song keeps playing in the background as the Kyuubi covers his ears with his enormous paws, trying to block out the song.)

**KYUUBI:** _STOP! STOP THIS DEGRADING MUSIC AT ONCE! IT IS AN INSULT TO MY INTELLIGENCE!_

**ME:** (Holding my finger over the stop button) Only if you say the Disclaimer!

**KYUUBI:** _FINE! BRU DOESN'T-_

**ME:** Nuh-uh-uh. No…The Fox Say…

**KYUUBI:** _NO! I WILL NEVER LOWER MYSELF TO SUCH LEVELS!_

**ME:** You'll have to listen to it forever then!

**KYUUBI:** _GRRRR…THE FOX SAY, BRU DOESN'T OWN DRAGON BALL/Z/GT, NARUTO, OR "THE FOX"! NOW SHUT IT OFF!_

**ME:** Okay! (Shuts off IPOD) Thanks! That wasn't that hard now, was it? Although, I did just OWN you! Ha-ha-ha-ha!

**KYUUBI:** _I WILL EAT YOU IF YOU EVER COME IN HERE AGAIN! NOW GET OUT!_

**ME:** (Turns to Audience) I'll get out of here and let him cool down a bit.

Please enjoy, review, favorite and follow!

_Now how do I get out of here?_

* * *

**Goku, Piccolo, and Naruto vs. Raditz:**

"_How could I be so careless?"_ thought Raditz as he stared up at Naruto, who was about to make contact with his Rasengan. He grit his teeth in an evil smirk before making his move, "Still too slow!"

The evil Saiyan moved so fast that all Naruto could do was take the bicycle kick to the face, which sent him skyrocketing. It was the hardest hit he had ever taken in his life, and the blood started to flow from his shattered nose, and the forehead protector he always wore broke in half and fell from his face. "I-I can't believe he moved that fast. I should have had him," muttered the blond ninja as he had reached his peak high into the sky and began to fall back to the ground. He attempted to catch himself, but the salty tears in his eyes blurred his vision, causing him to smash hard into the ground about twenty feet from Goku and Piccolo, knocking the wind out of lungs, and causing him to spit out a little bit of blood.

Piccolo and Goku stared in shock as the blond ninja struggled to get his breath back. "H-he moved even faster than before…The kid didn't even stand a chance," said Piccolo, who grit his teeth and turned to face Raditz.

The Saiyan warrior landed back on his feet and began to gloat, "Serves the Elemental brat right. He did give me a slight scare though."

Goku ran over to Naruto and checked up on the battered ninja, "Naruto, are you alright?"

His nose continued to leak blood as a rusty taste began to build up in his mouth. He could barely hear what Goku was saying, due to the ringing in his ears. He struggled to get air into his lungs, but he was able to finally choke out, "C-can't b-breath…S-so f-fast!" in between heavy breathing.

"Don't worry;" reassured Goku as he stood up, "Piccolo and I can take it from here…You can get yourself out of the way right?"

The jinchuuriki nodded as he began to regain his senses. He hated being so useless. He thought he had Raditz dead to rights. He was able to lift his head and gave the evil Saiyan a glare.

"So blondie's awake!" cried Raditz, "Awww…Did I hurt your pride? Don't worry, Kakarrot and the Green man will join you in your misery shortly!"

The purple clad demon bared his teeth in an angry snarl, as veins popped from his forehead. "I've had enough of this loudmouth! Goku, get ready," said Piccolo as he got into his battle stance.

Goku followed suit, getting into his stance as well, "Right," before turning back to Naruto with a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

Naruto nodded as he tried to get up and move, but he felt too numb and decided to crawl further from the fight. _"I can't believe it! He's already knocked me out of the fight…Goku and Piccolo may be strong, but I don't know…"_

"_YOU SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR MY POWER…" _said the all too familiar voice in Naruto's mind.

"_It's your fault that we're here you stupid fox!"_ thought Naruto in his response while he crawled away, "_Besides, Captain Yamato warned me not to use your power anyway!"_

"_YOU WILL NEED ME SOON ENOUGH YOU BRAT!" _shouted the Kyuubi before drifting back into the ninja's mind.

"No…" said Naruto as he stopped crawling and turned back to watch the fight, "I won't…Huh?"

Naruto suddenly saw a small bird flying above, but when he got a close look, he noticed, "Hey…Isn't that…"

* * *

**With the others, on their way to the fight:**

Sai's head suddenly shot up as he received the information from his drawing. The pale ninja had jerked hard enough to unsettle the ink eagle upon which both he and Yamato were riding.

"Hey Sai, what was that!" shouted Yamato as he struggled to regain his grip on the creature.

The artist turned back and responded, "My art has reached the battle. It appears to have already started."

The Mokuton user was worried, "What!? Can you give me a status report, Sai?"

"It appears that Naruto already charged in to face that alien," Sai said as he turned forward to continue flight, "and it didn't go well…He appears to be alive, but hurt badly and out of the action. Only Goku and Piccolo are able to fight, and Raditz doesn't even seem to have a single scratch on him."

Yamato was disheartened at the news, but he was still glad that the nine tails had yet to make an appearance. "Alright…we need to pick up the pace, and break the news to Sakura and the others and have them do the same."

"Right!" said Sai as he closed his eyes and shared the information with his ink clone.

* * *

**Raditz vs. Goku and Piccolo:**

"Good…Now we won't have to worry about him getting in the way," said Piccolo as he referred to Naruto, but kept his angry gaze upon Raditz as he got into his stance.

"Naruto tried his best Piccolo…Give him a break," scolded Goku before continuing, "At least he did give us a chance to see Raditz's moves…However brief."

"It doesn't matter now Goku, now get ready to fight!" shouted the green warrior as he had gotten fed up with the talking.

"Yeah, you're right," answered the Saiyan from Earth as he got into his trademark stance as well. "Let's do this Piccolo!"

"You still can't beat me Kakarrot! You're both too weak!" chuckled Raditz, "I am ten times stronger than the both of you!"

"Power doesn't matter if you can outsmart your opponent!" declared a confident Goku with a smile.

"You don't have a clue, do you brother?" said Goku's evil brother with a frown. He unfolded his arms and continued, "You're weak and have disappointed me greatly…YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO ALL SAIYANS! NOW PREPARE TO DIE!"

He seemed to power up as his hair began to levitate behind his head, putting Goku and Piccolo on edge, and after a brief moment, the Saiyan warrior dashed forward towards Earth's heroes, moving faster than the eye could see. The two heroes were in shock as their opponent appeared directly behind them and instantly elbowed them in their backs, knocking them to the ground.

They each caught themselves and bounced back onto their feet and stared back at Raditz with complete disbelief, shock, and fear written onto their faces.

The evil Saiyan laughed as he saw their reactions, which only made them more uneasy.

Goku's sweat dropped down his head as contemplated what had just happened, "_I-I knew he was fast but…He might be faster than we can handle! We need to get his tail!"_

"_I-I couldn't follow his movements…He disappeared one moment, and the next..." _thought Piccolo as he began to understand the power of his foe.

"Now they understand my surprise," mumbled Naruto before he spit the blood from his mouth and continued to watch. "At least my nose stopped bleeding."

"Still trying to outsmart me brother?" asked an overconfident Raditz as he observed Goku in thought. "I'll give you this though; you both can take a punch." He chuckled and continued, "This should make this fun…Let's see how long you can stand the pain."

Piccolo snarled in response, readying his stance once again. Goku soon followed suit.

"Why so tense, brother?" said the evil Saiyan with a grin, "If you're scared now, then just wait until I catch my stride…I've only just begun to warm up."

The forgetful Saiyan and the green demon both froze at Raditz's statement, unable to comprehend the sheer power of which he spoke.

Goku's evil brother crossed his arms and smiled as he re-checked the heroes' power levels and said, "Let's make this a game since you two have almost the same power level. I make you both feel pain, and whoever begs for mercy first loses!"

Piccolo managed to shake off his shock, grit his teeth and clench his fist in anger before declaring, "I don't care how strong he is! I am not going to stand here and be ridiculed by this guy…I would rather die!"

"We'll get to that in due time, green man," chuckled Raditz.

Goku raised his fist towards his brother and countered, "You still haven't beaten us yet!"

Raditz closed his eyes and chuckled some more, before responding to his gentle brother, "Believe me, I know an easy win when I see it…It's what I do…"

"That's it…Goku," said the demon king as he turned to Goku, "Let's charge him together at once."

"Works for me…" said Goku as the two heroes tensed up and prepared to charge their terrible opponent.

Silence ensued as neither side made a single move. One lone butterfly was moving in the air, but once it landed…

Goku and Piccolo charged at Raditz in full speed. The sounds of their feet smacking the earth and their battle cries filled the air as they kicked up blades of grass with each step. Then, they each raised their fist to strike a blow onto Goku's brother.

Raditz saw these coming and either dodged or blocked every strike that the two heroes could offer up. More dust and grass was kicked up into the air as hundreds of blows were thrown at Raditz, without a single one hitting its mark.

The heroes tried to flank their opponent and both came at him from behind, only for him to levitate and kick each one in the face simultaneously, sending them tumbling.

They both landed on their feet and immediately sprang back at Raditz for another attack, but he dodged their attack once again and raised himself into the air. Goku and Piccolo wasted no time springing into the air and flying towards Raditz at full speed.

Naruto stared in disbelief at what he was seeing, "Even they can't do anything against this guy! It's so not fair!"

Raditz took his time preparing his counterattack, as he charged yellow energy spheres in each hand, and as our heroes had just about gotten to him, he released strong energy beams at each one, leaving little to no time to react.

Goku managed to dodge in time, narrowly missing the beam that went on to destroy three entire mountains. Piccolo was not as lucky, for he winced as the beam sailed by, clearly getting a piece of the green man.

Naruto had to shield his eyes as the blasts made contact with the earth and shook the ground. _"He has such raw power…that was enough to destroy Konoha five times over!" _thought a shocked Naruto. "I-I can't just sit here…I have got to do something." He tried to get up but was still too weak to stand. "Damn my body…Move!"

"_USE MY POWER NARUTO!" said the demon fox._

"I told you no! Now get back in my head you persistent bastard!" shouted Naruto as the Kyuubi was getting on his nerves. He failed to notice that his wounds had begun to heal just a little faster now.

Goku landed on his feet just as the explosions ceased and looked around for any sight of his big brother. "Grrh…Where is he!?"

"Right here!" shouted Raditz as he delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to Goku's back, sending him flying face first into the ground. Goku skidded several yards, kicking up grass and dirt before coming to a stop near Piccolo.

"I told you that you couldn't match my power, Kakarrot! Heh-heh-heh…" said the evil elder brother with a grin.

The forgetful Saiyan shook off the pain and wiped the dirt and blood from his mouth. "Damn you…" He turned towards Piccolo and began to ask, "Hey, Piccolo are you alr…" He was speechless after he saw the state that his arch rival was in.

Piccolo stood, panting and grabbing his left shoulder, right above where his arm should have been. His arm had been blasted off midway between the elbow and shoulder, leaving a bleeding stump in its place. His purple blood had begun to pool up on the ground beside him.

"Yeah…I'm alright, Goku…I don't need both of my arms to fight!" said the injured demon.

Raditz crossed his arms and belted out laughter and mocked the injured Piccolo, "HA-HA-HA! Hey have you seen my arm!? You can't miss it, it's green! HA-HA-HA!"

Earth's strongest duo stared at their opponent as they began to formulate a new strategy. "Goku, I wouldn't suppose you had any new techniques you've been working on, have you?" whispered Piccolo.

The naïve warrior chuckled as he responded, "Can't say I do…Sorry Piccolo."

The green man smirked, "Hmph…you've been slacking, Goku…Guess I'll have to try out my new technique…"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO WHISPERING ABOUT!?" interrupted Raditz, "Anything you come up with is futile…Just give up and die already!"

Naruto was watching closely as he saw Goku and Piccolo strategizing. _"What are you two planning to do!? Wait…Plan! I forgot the plan! I need to watch for an opening," _thought the whiskered shinobi as he blocked out the pain and stood up. "I'll be ready for my chance!" He tightened his fist and watched the battle continue to unfold.

"You have a new technique!" asked an intrigued Goku.

Piccolo nodded and Goku continued, "But can you use it with only one arm?"

"Yeah…That's not the problem…I am going to need you to fight him alone while I charge up the power needed for the attack. Considering he's not even broken a sweat against both of us, I know that's asking a lot," answered the one-armed warrior.

His rival got into his stance and prepared to fight, "It's fine…how long do you need?"

"About five minutes…" answered Piccolo.

"Oh…Now you tell me…You sure it'll work?" asked a determined Goku.

"I haven't tested it in battle, if that's what you mean," answered the green man. "I was saving it for you."

"That's funny," chuckled the forgetful Saiyan, "The technique that you were going to use to kill me, is now going to help me. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Heh…I'm surprised you knew the meaning of the word…" chuckled Piccolo, "Now quit cracking jokes and buy me some time…Or you're next!"

"Cheerful as always…" mocked Goku as he crouched and sprang forward to attack his brother. The demon now took his index and middle fingers of his remaining hand and touched them to his forehead, where veins began to bulge from his concentration.

Raditz watched as his younger brother charged right up to his and began to launch a flurry of punches and kicks, to which he block every one. "Just you, brother…Is that all you've got? Okay…My turn!"

The evil Saiyan quickly switched from the defensive to the offensive, launching his own barrage of punches and kicks. Goku was helpless as blow after blow connected, until Raditz delivered a powerful kick to his jaw, sending him flying to the ground.

Right before he hit the ground, Goku put his arms out and caught himself before launching into the sky with his back turned towards his opponent.

His brother watched on as Goku rose higher into the sky, and with a frown, muttered, "That persistent bastard…"

Goku cupped his hands to his right hip and a blue energy began to manifest between them. He concentrated his Ki as he began to recite the famous name of his technique, "**Ka…Me…Ha…Me…**"

Naruto watched on as he saw the blue orb grow brighter and brighter. "What is that…I've never seen anything like it!"

Raditz's scouter beeped several times and the display lit up, catching the warrior's attention. "What! Kakarrot can somehow raise his power level by focusing his power in a single point. I-it's at 940…and climbing!" Then his scouter picked up something else behind him, and he turned around to see the green demon powering up his attack as well. "Him too! His power level is at 1030, 1040, 1050, and rising. How is this possible!?"

"**HAAAAAAAAA!**" shouted Goku as he released the blue energy blast straight down at his brother, who noticed it and jumped out the way, only for Goku to pull on the beam and redirect it to follow the fleeing Saiyan.

Raditz was fed up and turned to face the blast head on, "ALL RIGHT, BRING IT ON!" He stretched out his left hand and supported it with his right as the blast made contact, causing a large mushroom cloud to form from the explosion.

"Wow…" was all Naruto could manage to utter out as he blocked his eyes from the blinding light and dust.

Goku was panting from the effort as he waited for the dust to clear, "Ha, ha, ha…What!?" He was completely shocked when Raditz appeared out of the dust, relatively unharmed.

The evil Saiyan winced as his hand was burnt from taking the blast and still sizzled a little bit. _"Brother, you have thoroughly succeeded in pissing me off!" _thought Raditz as he now had a menacing snarl upon his face.

"H-he negated the attack…N-no way!" stammered the now fearful Goku.

"My turn!" shouted Raditz as he unleashed a purple blast from his left arm towards his brother, who could do nothing but take the attack head on.

"Gwaaaaah!" was all that came from Goku as the blast hit. His arms flailed outward as he felt every excruciating moment of the blast burning his skin. Once the blast had finally dissipated, his numb body fell to the ground, unable to move from the pain.

Naruto watched on as he fell to the ground and landed hard, "Oh no…Goku!"

Not even had the gentle warrior landed for just a second when his evil brother appeared, snatching his now tattered gi that was now only covering the right shoulder.

"Now you die, brother!" shouted Raditz as he raised his arm to deliver the final blow, only to stop when he scouter alerted him of the upcoming danger. He dropped Goku and whirled around to see Piccolo, who now was straining to keep hi Ki in check as a concentrated energy now sat on the end of his index and middle fingers. "POWER LEVEL OF 1330...! I CAN'T BLOCK THAT!" He growled and stared down Piccolo before waving him on, "BRING IT ON GREEN MAN!"

Piccolo had on a menacing smile as he responded, "Okay…You asked for it…**SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!**" He extended his arm and a spiraling ray of orange energy flew towards his enemy at light speed. It appeared to hit its target as a small cloud of dust was kicked up as the spiraling beam continued on to hit the mountains behind Raditz.

The explosion creating a blinding light, forcing Naruto and Goku to look away to keep from going blind, "Wow," said Goku as he continued to wait for the blast to subside, "I'm glad you didn't use that on me now, Piccolo."

The dust cleared as Piccolo looked for what remained of the evil Saiyan. He first was amazed at his own technique's power as he saw the now crescent shaped hole where his attack hit the mountain. He shook off his amazement and turned to his right in horror.

"Hm-hm-hm…Nice technique…Your aim needs some work though…" chuckled Raditz as our three heroes shook from fear.

"_H-he dodged my attack!" _thought the horrified Piccolo, "_He's faster than the speed of light!"_

Raditz looked over at his right shoulder, where his shoulder pad armor had been broken off, revealing the burnt and bleeding red skin of his right shoulder, "You did manage to pierce my armor…If that would have hit me dead-on, I would've been a goner…" He turned back to Piccolo before continuing, "Now I am angry…Green man, do you remember the technique I was going to show you before? Time to cash in your rain check…"

Piccolo watched in terror as Raditz raised his arm to fire his attack. _"Is this how it ends…?" _thought the green warrior.

"Prepare to die! **DOUBLE SUND- **GWAH!" shouted Raditz before freezing mid attack and shaking. "W-what?" was all he could choke out as he turned around to see who had grabbed his tail.

"Hi-hi-hi…" chuckled Naruto as he gripped Raditz's tail, "You let your guard down. Goku said to wait for a moment to grab your tail."

"Y-you little b-bastard," stuttered the shocked Saiyan, "Y-you shouldn't d-do that."

Naruto smiled as he squeezed down harder on the tail, making the evil Saiyan fall down to his knees, utterly powerless. "You mean this?" taunted the smiling Naruto as he tortured the now pitiful Raditz.

Goku smiled as he looked up at Naruto, "Glad you're okay, Naruto…Nice work." The now bloodied Goku turned his head towards Piccolo and asked, "You think you can do that attack one more time, Piccolo?"

"Yeah, but keep him still, Naruto," answered the green demon as he put his fingers to his forehead once again, "I can only do this one more time…"

"You can count on me, Dattebayo!" declared the smiling jinchuriki before turning his attention back to the Saiyan under his control. "This bastard isn't going anywhere!"

Raditz struggled to get free, but to no avail, "This is degrading! Release my tail at once, Elemental!"

"Not a chance," declined Naruto, who then squeezed his tail even harder.

"AGH…!" screamed Raditz as the tremendous pain surged throughout his body. Goku, who had propped himself up with his elbows, couldn't help but wince as he remembered all the times someone had grabbed his tail.

Raditz was shaking a little as the pain subsided, and he turned to his brother, "K-Kakarrot, p-please tell him to l-let me go…Are you seriously going to let them kill your only brother?"

"YOU WERE GOING TO KILL US FIRST!" shouted Naruto as he kept a firm grip on the evil Saiyan's tail.

"I told you before, Raditz…" answered Goku, "That I don't have a brother…Nobody as evil as you could ever be my brother!"

"I-I was bluffing…O-once I saw that you weren't going to join, I was going to leave this planet…" pleaded Raditz.

Piccolo, who kept charging his attack, shouted, "Don't listen to him Goku! He's lying to get you to release him!"

Goku got up as he appeared to be actually contemplating letting him go, and Naruto noticed. "Goku…You can't seriously be thinking about letting him go, are you?"

Raditz took the opportunity and begged even harder, "I swear to never come back if you just let me go."

The forgetful Saiyan gave in and responded, "You promise?"

"Yes, I promise! P-please K-kakarrot, don't let them kill me…" begged the helpless Raditz.

"Goku, what are you thinking?" asked the astounded blond ninja.

"People change…" answered Goku.

Hearing this shook Naruto to the core, as memories of Sasuke flooded his brain. _"You changed too, didn't you Sasuke…"_

* * *

**Flashbacks Begin**

_The memories began with their days at the ninja academy, and how he had always despised how Sasuke was at the top of the class,_

"_You were always looking down on me back then, always acting superior…and taking the heart I always wanted…You were my rival from day one…"_

_The next memories were of their times as a team during the bell test,_

"_Then we became teammates with Sakura-Chan and Kakashi Sensei…and you offered me the food first, acknowledging me as a comrade…as a friend…"_

_Next came the first fight with Zabuza,_

"_We worked so well that time when freed Kakashi sensei, we worked together as equals…"_

_He smiled as he remembered the tree climbing, _

"_Our rivalry only got stronger, as did our friendship. Didn't it? You helped me back to the house after we both exhausted ourselves…"_

_Naruto began to tear up as the bridge battle began to pass,_

"_Then you sacrificed yourself for me when we fought Haku…I thought I had lost my best friend, but we made it, and we moved on, closer than ever…"_

_Naruto tensed up as the memories from the Chuunin exams passed next,_

"_We made it through the Forest of Death with each other, even though that bastard Orochimaru had marked you…I cheered you on in the prelims, even if you couldn't do the same…We both trained hard for the finals, and I couldn't wait to face you, and you felt the same way…but then the attack began, and we postponed until we could stop Gaara and save Sakura, together…"_

_Naruto dipped his head as things began to turn for the worse, _

"_Then…Itachi came…Your look was so full of hatred…It scared me…I couldn't believe it was you that owned those eyes…You began to change again, back to your old self…Then we fought after I got back, and you raised yourself above me again…I tried to remind you of who you were, but you were determined to beat me…"_

_The tears began to flow freely as Naruto relived his chase of Sasuke another time, _

"_You left us, Sasuke…You threw us away and left to join that bastard…We all fought hard to bring you back…and We fought at the Valley of the End…I like to think that I got through to you a little that day, even though you still left…I failed to change you back, Sasuke. I failed you, I failed Sakura-Chan, and everyone else that day…The pain of you leaving still hurts to this day…Sakura-Chan and I can barely function whenever somebody brings up your name…You changed Sasuke…"_

**Flashbacks End**

* * *

The blond ninja could barely control the emotional onslaught that was his past, as tears ran down his whiskered cheeks.

Goku remembered his story about his friend, and continued, "We have to have faith that people can change…and change back too…"

"Huh!?" questioned a shocked Naruto as he raised his head to look his new friend in his eye, "W-what do you mean?"

Goku could see all the hurt and anguish in Naruto's eyes as he delicately continued on the subject, "If you don't believe that my brother can change for the better now; what hope do you have of changing Sasuke back? Sometimes people need to be shown mercy, in order to learn it themselves."

Naruto was again shocked by Goku's insight, and his understanding, "Y-you're right…I need to forgive Sasuke…to show him how, so that he can forget his hatred for his brother, and…come back...home." Naruto was calmed by this thought as he used his shoulders to wipe the tears from his face. "Thank you, Goku. You sound a lot like Kakashi Sensei sometimes…"

"Sounds like a good guy," said the kind Saiyan, who smiled and continued, "Now, let's give Raditz a chance to change, then we can work on getting your friend back...together."

"Yeah, we will…" agreed the blond ninja who smiled and turned to Raditz. "You better do as you say!"

"I-I promise. I am sorry for giving you all trouble…Please don't kill me!" pleaded the now pitiful Saiyan warrior.

"NOOO! NARUTO, GOKU DON'T!" shouted Piccolo in vain as Naruto released his grip on Raditz's tail, letting it slip from his hands.

The evil Saiyan wasted no time, springing up fast enough to not give the two heroes a chance to counter and grabbed each one by the neck and held them in the air. "You two fools are extremely naïve if you think I would leave like that...heh-heh-heh." He chuckled as they struggled to get free from his grasp, the look of regret and anger in both of their eyes.

"Grrh…Fools!" grunted Piccolo who now worked harder to power up his attack while Raditz was still distracted. "I needed more time!"

Raditz smirked as he looked from Naruto to Goku, as he said, "Now which one of you do I kill first?" He continued to go back and forth until the blond tried to kick him in the ribs, but was too weak from the struggle to do any damage. "It appears we have a volunteer! Too bad I already decided to save you for later!" declared the evil Saiyan as he head-butted Naruto right where his forehead protector would have been, and knocked him cold. Raditz pulled back and let the unconscious Naruto fall to the ground.

Goku managed to choke out, "Y-you monster. We gave you mercy!"

"And look how that worked out for you brother, HA!" laughed his brother as he pulled back his other arm and delivered a powerful punch straight to his face, sending him flying a few yards before landing in the dirt, dazed.

Immediately, Raditz stood over him. "You and that Elemental are too soft, Kakarrot. You both fell for a cheap trick. I, on the other hand, am a first class Saiyan warrior. I will not hesitate to kill my brother." The evil Saiyan snickered as he put his foot overtop his brother's chest, "How about a demonstration?"

The sound heard next would make anyone cringe, as Raditz stomped hard onto Goku's chest, snapping ribs and cracking the sternum. The forgetful Saiyan cried out in unbearable pain, "NNNGYAAAAAAAA! AAAAHHH! AH, AH, WHAAAA!"

Piccolo could only watch and listen as his rival was being stomped to death, "_If only I had more time…Besides, he'd just dodge if I fired it now."_

"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA…Don't worry brother, death will come soon," laughed the evil Raditz as he toyed with his brother a little longer.

Then, the scouter beeped, catching Raditz's attention, "W-what!" exclaimed the shocked Saiyan as he turned to the crater containing his space pod.

Suddenly, wreckage from the space pod flew into the air in a small explosion, revealing Gohan rising up from the debris without his hat. He had a look of pure fury as he stared down at his uncle and his battered father. Tears welled in his eyes, not from fear, but from anger, as he flipped several times before landing on the ground in front of the crater.

Piccolo and Raditz were both stunned and simultaneously cried, "WHAT!?" in confusion.

As the young boy stood, enraged and in full view, Raditz could barely choke out, "P-power level 1307…and climbing! That's impossible!"

Piccolo was still in awe as he cried for Goku to look, "G-goku…It's your son…He's standing right there!"

The forgetful Saiyan struggled to turn his head to see his son, "G-Gohan?"

Gohan's rage only increased as he saw his father's beaten body, and turned it towards his uncle. He began to crouch down before springing towards Raditz in a beam of light and shouting, "STOP HURTING MY DADDY!"

**End of Chapter 5**

* * *

Just what has gotten into young Gohan? Are our heroes doomed, or will they finally defeat the monster known as Raditz? Find out in the next chapter of, The Z-Ninja!

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Ha! The evil cliffhanger strikes again! I promise that I won't do this too much as we continue, but I needed to split the chapter here. Things were starting to drag out and get stale for me. I do promise that the fight will end in the next chapter though. I hope this chapter's changes didn't surprise anyone too much. :)

"_JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" _shouted an all too familiar voice.

**Me:** Look, I tried to leave, but there is no map to this place now is there.

**Kyuubi:** _YOU'RE LUCKY THAT I CAN'T REACH YOU FROM HERE!_

**Me:** (Holds up IPOD) Do I need to remind you!?

**Kyuubi:** _NO, PLEASE. NOT THAT! I'LL BE QUIET!_

**Me:** That's what I thought! (Turns back to audience) I hope I can find a way out of here soon, but for now, please REVIEW, FAV, and FOLLOW!

Bru-Sensei, out!


	6. Rage!

**The Z-Ninja: A Naruto & DBZ Crossover FanFic**

* * *

**Me:**** "Hello everyone! Glad to be back this week with the much anticipated conclusion to the fight with Raditz. The last time we… Hey, why is it so dark in here? Do you know, Kyuubi?"**

**Kyuubi:**** "**_**Oh…that usually happens whenever Naruto is unconscious. It's a pain in the ass if you ask me."**_

**Me:**** "Yeah, it's bugging me too!"**

**Kyuubi:**_**"Then get the story started so you can wake up Naruto! You baka! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT KNOCKED HIM OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"**_

**Me: "****Hey! That's not nice! You already broke my IPOD and now you berate me for my story! Are you incapable of even a small bit of decency!?"**

**Kyuubi:**** "**_**Of course not! I'm freaking evil!"**_

**Me:**** "Awww. Someone's cranky…Do you need a nap?" :D.**

**Kyuubi:**** (Blushes) **_**"SHUT UP! YOU ANNOY ME MORE THAN NARUTO, AND NO! I WON'T SAY THE DISCLAIMER FOR YOU!"**_

**Me:**_**Grrrrrrr… He's got me there since I can't torture him anymore…Oh, well.**_** Now where did we leave off, ah! That's right!**

**Now, last chapter we left as Gohan was about to deal some damage to Raditz. We continue now a little bit after where we left off.**

**This chapter will either make or break one for this story. I have been nervously going over my plot in my head for weeks waiting to write this chapter. I wanted to be original with my story, and after reading other stories, I came up with an idea I feel to be exactly that! :D**

**In case you don't agree with my story, keep in mind that this story is about the butterfly effect created by the merging of two different storylines. So some changes are necessary in order to accomplish this. **

**This idea has been in place for a while, and I have been excited about it! I just hope you all are ready for it. XD**

**I will have more on this in the post-chapter author's note with some explanations, I promise! ;D**

**Now let's get to the…**

**Oh, crap! **

**The ****Disclaimer:**** I do not own Dragon Ball/Z/GT or Naruto! Wish I did, because I would not be a 21 year-old, Computer Systems major from Kentucky. I would be filthy rich if I did, and I would have never been able to come up with the ideas for either Naruto or DBZ on my own. XD. That is why I personally thank Akira Toriyama for making Dragonball, and also Masashi Kishimoto for Naruto. All canon characters, locations, plotlines, concepts, etc. from either manga/anime belong to each respective author. This is an adaptation of each of their stories and I do not attempt to claim rights to their work. I only claim the new changes I have made to the stories! Also, the portal idea was done before. Credit for the portal idea goes to both murderdeath21 and thedarkpokemaster. If I missed any others, I am sorry. XD. I really try to give credit where credit is due! **

**Whew! That was a long disclaimer! Will probably never do one that long again! Just for some reason felt like being really specific for once XD.**

**Sorry to keep you waiting! Here's the next chapter!**

**Please READ, ENJOY, FAV, and FOLLOW!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Rage**

Radit was speechless...He couldn't even breath as the pain in his chest was new to him. Nobody had ever hurt him so badly before. He just couldn't believe that the first one to do so was his five year old nephew. He staggered back a few feet, trying to recompose himself as he clutched his broken armor. _H-he head-butted my chest, and he did this much damage, _thought the wounded Saiyan warrior.

As his uncle struggled to comprehend what had just happened to him, Gohan rubbed his head. He couldn't understand why it hurt, having already forgotten his rage induced attack from moments earlier. "Ow-ow-ow!" cried the young boy in obvious pain until he glimpsed his father beside him.

"G-Gohan…" Goku was not really surprised at his son's attack. He always knew he had it in him. He was just scared because he feared what was going to happen next as he saw the anger building up within his evil brother. "Son…You n-need to run away now…"

"What!?" exclaimed the now confused Raditz, "Power Level of 1. Where did your power go, boy?" That kind of power level fluctuation was unheard of. Raditz had never experienced this kind of talent before, so he knew that he needed to end things…quickly.

Goku watched in horror as his brother approached his son with evil intent in his eyes. He tried once again to get Gohan to run, but the boy was frozen in fear.

"HOW DARE YOU INJURE YOUR DEAR UNCLE RADITZ!" shouted the evil Saiyan as he chopped the boy's neck, sending him flying before he crashed into the ground, out cold.

Goku reached for the evil Saiyan, trying his absolute best to save his son, "L-leave him out of t-this, Raditz. He's just a child!"

His brother scoffed at that last remark, "That _child_ already has more power than either you or me! I can't let him live!"

Raditz shook off Goku as he walked closer to the unconscious boy's body, "It's really too bad though…That power will have to go to waste." He raised his hand to deliver the final blow, when suddenly he was grabbed from behind and put into a full nelson. "W-what!" He shouted in frustration as he realized that his brother had willed himself to get up and grab him. "Damn you, Kakarrot!"

The forgetful Saiyan peeked over his brother's shoulders, grabbing on tighter as Raditz struggled to get free. "Piccolo…Hurry with attack! I don't know how long I can hold him!" He gritted his teeth as his brother began to kick at his legs in order to get free.

Piccolo smirked as he watched his rival take hold of the enemy. He never liked Goku, but he had to admit, his timing was impeccable. "Just hang on! I only need a little more time!"

Raditz was in a bind now, he felt weakened in his current state. _That kid must have done more damage on me than I originally thought!_ He pleaded with his brother, "Kakarrot, if he fires that beam…We'll both be killed! You wouldn't want to kill me and yourself would you!"

"Heh…Don't bother, you can't lie your way out of this one!" chuckled the hero.

"You fool! We're both going to die!" said the struggling Saiyan warrior.

"As long as you go too…I'm fine with that." Revealed the kind-hearted Saiyan. He couldn't let Raditz go free, not now, knowing full well that he would likely kill all of his friends with no remorse.

Raditz's eyes widened as he realized there was no way to talk his way out of this, as he began to pummel his brother's ribs in order to loosen the grip he had on him. "Get off me, brother!"

Goku tried as best as he could to ignore the pain in his chest, but it was getting to be too much, as he called out to his ally, "Piccolo! Fire it already! My ribs can't take much more of this! DO IT NOW!"

"If that's what you want, Goku, I won't hesitate. Killing you as well as him is just a bonus," said the smiling demon as lightning aura formed around his fingertips. "_Your friends will just wish you back anyway…"_

"DO IT!" shouted Goku as his grip was beginning to slip.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," replied Goku's archenemy as he flung out his arm and fired the beam, "**SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"**

The spiraling beam flew towards Raditz and Goku. The desperate Saiyan gave one last ditch elbow to his brother's ribs, and, unfortunately, Goku's grip slipped just enough for Raditz to jump, with his brother still latched on, out of the way. The beam continued past, flying out till it landed far off in the field, creating a large explosion.

Piccolo covered his eyes as to keep from being blinded by the light. He had not seen his enemy evade his attack. As the dust and blinding light subsided, he looked up, only to tremble as he witnessed Raditz, grinning and holding his brother by the throat. "N-no…H-he d-dodged it again…G-Goku couldn't keep him down…and now…" He fell to his knees as all hope he had for victory disappeared, "I-I'm out of power…We're doomed!"

Raditz's smile grew wider as he saw his enemy at his weakest moment, "We have a winner!" He turned his gaze towards Goku, whom he still held in his hands. The forgetful Saiyan still struggled and kicked as his brother held him off the ground. The frustration and anger at his own body's failure apparent in his eyes. "I will give you this, little brother…I never thought you would come this close to defeating me…Yet you still fight me now…I see that your Saiyan pride still burns inside your veins…Now let me provide you a death befitting a true Saiyan!"

Goku continued to struggle as his brother slowly raised his palm right before his chest. _I'm sorry everyone…I'm sorry Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi, Yamato, Sai, Sakura, Chi-Chi, G-Gohan…I'm sorry I didn't save you guys…and I'm sorry I talked you into letting him go, Naruto…_

Everything was fuzzy…He tried to looked around but his head was ringing like a recently rung bell. '_Augh…M-my head_,' Naruto struggled to comprehend as his senses slowly returned. '_Why does it hurt so much? W-what happened to me?'_

He racked his brain for the answer, shaking off his daze, until the realization of what happened hit him suddenly. _Raditz! That bastard liar! He tricked Goku into making me let go and then attacked us! Where is he!? I'll make him pay, Dattebayo!_

The blond ninja lifted his head and tried to look around, only faintly hearing a yell and seeing a bright light from his blurry vision followed by the shaking ground. _W-what was that, _thought the jinchuuriki as he turned his head the other way, for the bright light stung his eyes. _Grrh…Someone must have fired an attack, but who?_ He waited for the shaking to subside and turned back. He could barely make out the scene before him as his eyes still had not adjusted, but he could make out some shapes. _W-wait…S-someone is on their knees…Is that, one arm!? That's Piccolo! This can't be good!_

The whiskered ninja blinked, and it helped clear the fogginess of his eyes. He scanned his surroundings further before his eyes came to rest on a young boy. _There! I-is that Gohan! B-but what is he doing outside of the space pod!? H-he's not moving, but he seems to be breathing…Thank goodness! _Naruto turned once more and was snapped back to his senses by the horrifying sight before him.

There Raditz stood, holding his new friend Goku by the neck as he struggled to get free, and was raising his hand towards his chest. Naruto struggled to stand up to stop him, but fell back to his knees as they buckled underneath him. _Damn it body, MOVE! T-this can't be happening, not now! I gotta save Goku, _thought Naruto. The young ninja soon froze as he saw Raditz charge up an energy ball in his off-hand, and smirk. He could hear him now as the evil Saiyan laughed, "FINALLY! SAY GOODBYE, KAKARROT! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Naruto couldn't help but watch as Goku was blasted, point blank, in the chest by his own brother. The purple blast went straight through his chest, destroying his heart and killing him instantly.

The blond ninja was motionless, unable to even recognize the emotions assaulting him as he stared on, only to see Goku's limbs go limp and his head fall to the side. Tears began to form in Naruto's eyes as he witnessed the look of sorrow on his friend's face, and seeing the once child-like gleam of those eyes, fade into darkness.

Naruto tried to scream as the pain hit him out of nowhere, but no sound came out. Tears were flowing like a waterfall from his eyes as he clawed at his chest and tore at his hair. He couldn't save him…when he needed him the most. The image of Goku's lifeless face replayed over and over in his mind as the pain grew and grew and kept growing until it reached its peak. Pain was consuming Naruto and just when he was about to surrender to it, he heard _that voice_.

* * *

**(Inside Naruto's Subconscious)**

Naruto was kneeling in in the water in front of the Kyuubi's cage, head down in despair and seemingly frozen in place. This area of his mind seemed like the basement of an old power plant with pipes along the upper portions of the walls. The cage containing the Kyuubi was red and had a paper seal overtop the door.

The Kyuubi leaned its massive red eye up to one of the openings in the cage and spoke, "_Naruto…Use my power to block out the pain that you are feeling now. Use it to destroy the cause of pain in your heart!"_

Naruto didn't care anymore…All he saw was the haunting image of Goku's face, lifeless as he last saw it. He wanted to make it go away, and he knew only one way how, as another image of Goku's evil brother flashed into his mind. He had made up his mind as he mumbled, "Raditz…must…pay…"

"_Yes…"_ said the demon fox as it began to smile, "_Make him pay. Use my hatred and make him pay…"_

The blond ninja silently agreed as the chakra bubbles flowed from the cage, beginning to surround him.

* * *

**En route to Fight:**

Sai jolted as a fresh new image crossed his mind. He wasted no time before turning back towards his Captain to reveal the information he had just received, "Captain Yamato, I have bad news from the battle…"

Yamato gulped as he had never seen Sai so affected by news before, "Well, tell me!"

Sai nodded and continued, "It appears that Piccolo's attack has failed…Raditz still lives…"

The squad captain couldn't believe his ears as Sai kept going, "and he appears to have killed Son Goku…"

"O-oh Kami! H-how can he be that strong!?" he questioned the ROOT division ninja further, only to be shocked as Sai shook once more, apparently receiving another update.

Once he had gotten the details Sai faced forward and spurred his ink eagle to fly faster, "We need to hurry Captain Yamato…Naruto's begun to transform!"

"Fill the others in and have them hang back a bit, we can't have them getting close to him in that state!" ordered the wood-user as he thought about Naruto and prayed they wouldn't be too late to stop the nine-tails.

**A few moments later…**

"Like hell we'll hang back!" yelled the distressed Sakura from inside the plane, "I can't stay here and let Naruto fight that bastard alone!" Sai's ink clone tried to calm her down, but it was of no use as she turned towards the blue-haired pilot, "Bulma, I know you are upset right now, but can you please hurry!?"

"I-I'll try, Sakura…" said the blue haired woman as a tear rolled down her cheek for the naïve young friend she made one day while searching for the dragon balls. Roshi and Krillin were both silent as they thought about their pupil and friend, respectively. Then the plane sped up as Bulma applied more thrust to the engines.

* * *

**Battle with Raditz**

Raditz still held the lifeless body of his brother. "It's about time you died, Kakarrot…" The evil Saiyan smirked as he chucked Goku's body into the dirt, like common trash. He turned towards the hopeless Piccolo who continued to hang his head in defeat. "Giving up, Green Man?" mocked Raditz as he stared him down. "I was almost certain you were going to last much longer…Pity…Guess my fun is over." He decided to not waste time as he raised his left arm for a blast, only to be startled by his scouter beeping up once again. "W-what…a power level of 817, and climbing, but where," queried the Saiyan as he looked around.

Piccolo heard the once confident Saiyan's fearful words and that's when he felt it. It was a dark energy, dark even by his own standards. The green demon could feel it building and building, "W-what is this!? T-this energy is just so full of…hate!"

Both Piccolo and Raditz came upon the source of the terrible power simultaneously, utterly dumbfounded as they witnessed Naruto emitting a dark red aura around his body. The wounds on his body were steaming as the Kyuubi's chakra rapidly healed them. His nose snapped back into place, the only sign that it had been broken being the dried blood on his face. His whiskers grew more and more pronounced as the chakra began to form into the cloak around his body. His claws dug into his palms, making both bleed and instantly heal at the same time.

Neither hero nor villain could comprehend the sheer power emanating from Naruto, and both were unable to move from fear of the dark energy. "J-just what is HE!?" shouted the evil Saiyan who was trembling in fear.

Upon hearing the sound of his voice, Naruto's head jerked upright, revealing the snarl containing his fangs and his once sapphire eyes turned blood red with a slit up and down through the middle. The look on his face was pure rage, coupled with murderous intent. Inside, Naruto still had the power to hold back the Kyuubi as he turned to his ally, "Piccolo," said the jinchuuriki in a low and strained voice, all the while refusing to take his fury-filled glare off Raditz.

Piccolo couldn't believe that he didn't sense this earlier. _Just what kind of power is this, _thought the green remained frozen as Naruto continued in his lowered and emotionless voice, "Get…Gohan…Out of here…Grab Goku's body too…I can't keep myself controlled that much longer…" as Naruto's features began to look more and more demonic as the second tail formed on the Kyuubi's cloak.

Piccolo snapped out of his stupor, for he really did not want to save the son of his arch rival, "Why should I care what happens to the kid?"

Naruto struggled to keep from turning the rage onto Piccolo, but couldn't help turning his menacing stare towards the green demon and screamed at him, "DO IT, OR I'LL KILL YOU TOO!" His bloodlust was rising to an all-time high as he turned back to Raditz and the third tail formed, causing him to crouch down into his fox like position and raised his claws towards the evil Saiyan. Piccolo knew that he wasn't going to be told twice, so he got on his feet and moved towards Goku's lifeless body and flipped it over his shoulder, and then grabbed Gohan before flying away as fast as he could.

Raditz could only stare and shake in horror at the number displayed on his scouter, "I-impossible, 3500! I don't stand a chance! How can one Elemental have this much power!?"

Naruto growled at Raditz's remark, barely able to control his sanity any longer, "**IT'S BECAUSE I AM UZUMAKI NARUTO, JINCHUURIKI OF THE NINE TAILS…YOU MADE THE MISTAKE OF KILLING MY FRIEND! NOW I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"**

* * *

**Plane (Sakura, Sai clone, Bulma, Roshi, Krillin):**

"Captain Yamato has informed me to tell you to land with my real self. It's too dangerous to get close to the fight now," said the ink clone as the others were shocked to hear this.

"WHAT!?" they cried in unison.

"Naruto is fighting the Saiyan alone…at this point, he's as much a threat as Raditz…He knew he had to force Piccolo to take Gohan and leave before he lost complete control," informed the clone, "Captain Yamato is watching keeping a close eye, ready to subdue the nine-tails if needed."

Bulma took the warning and landed the plane next to the real Sai and Yamato, who were on a ridge overlooking the battlefield. Sai's ink clone dispelled as the others got out of the plane and took their place on the ridge beside Yamato, and the Earthlings finally saw and felt for themselves the terrifying power that was stored inside Naruto. They could see the cloak covering him from that distance, but Krillin trembled as he felt the massive dark energy radiating from the young ninja, "T-this i-is t-terrible! I-I've never felt s-such e-evil before!"

Then Piccolo landed next to the group and dropped to his knees, panting and sweating profusely. "P-Piccolo!" they all cried in unison.

The green demon let Goku's body slip from his shoulder but held tight to Gohan under his remaining arm. Bulma took one look at her friend's lifeless body and broke down, "N-no, not Goku!" her sobs continued to flow.

Roshi patted her on the shoulder as she cried for her friend. "Bulma…Now's not the time. We need to stay alert and watch the fight, in case we need to move. Besides, we can revive Goku with the Dragon Balls!"

Bulma wiped her tears with her sleeve and nodded, "Yeah, but we still have to get Naruto under control."

The demon king put the unconscious child down and glared at the ninja, "Which reminds me, do you three think you forgot to mention something about your friend down there!? He's a monster!"

Yamato was about to answer him, but Sakura cut him off, "Naruto is not a monster!" as tears formed in her eyes. "It's the monster inside him that's doing this…It's ruined his whole life and there's nothing I can do to help him!" she covered face with her hands as her sobs grew more violent.

Krillin walked towards her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry we're here for him now."

As Krillin consoled the pink-haired kunoichi, Yamato took notice of Sakura's actions and re-focused on the battle, "Sai, how many tails is the Nine Tails cloak up to?"

"Three tails, Captain Yamato…and he's only getting stronger…" said the ROOT ninja in a grim tone.

_This is not good! The Kyuubi is our only hope of beating Raditz, but I can't let Naruto go beyond his third tail, _thought the Mokuton user as the battle began.

* * *

**Naruto (Nine Tails' Cloak) vs. Raditz:**

Raditz was now the weaker fighter as he faced down Naruto as his rage and power surged. Years of battling experience kicked in as he began to formulate a plan. _He's now much stronger than I am…I will have to evade his attacks and wait for my chance to strike…Hopefully; with his rage he will get reckless in trying to attack me. Good thing pissing people off seems to be my specialty._

With his plan in place, Raditz began to smirk as he began taunting Naruto, "Hey, Elemental brat! Are you angry with me? I don't understand the reason why?"

"YOU KNOW DAMNED WELL WHY, YOU BASTARD!" screamed the furious Jinchuuriki as his claws dug further into the earth.

"Oh, do you mean Kakarrot!? He was weak and he deserved to die," said the Saiyan as he kept pushing the blond ninja's buttons.

Naruto's eyes widened in rage as he screamed back, "HE WAS NOT WEAK! YOU ARE THE WEAK ONE FOR THREATENING A CHILD'S LIFE!" The muscles in his legs tensed as he was barely holding himself back at this point.

"Then why am I still alive? If he was so strong, then why is there a big hole in his chest! HA-HA-HA," mocked the Saiyan Warrior.

That was the final straw as Naruto sprung at Raditz, rage being his only guide on his quest to avenge Goku. "I'LL TEAR YOU APART!" He screamed as pulled back his right hand to attack. After closing the distance between them in just fragments of a sentence, Naruto swiped his claws at his target.

Raditz just barely dodged the attack as the Jinchuuriki's claws grazed his face, leaving a small cut on his right cheek. He back flipped several times, putting distance between himself and the enraged ninja, but was shocked to see the chakra arm stretching his way. _Damn…He can further his reach by stretching out those arms made from his energy, _he thought as he sidestepped the attack only to be blindsided and knocked face first into the dirt by Naruto. The Saiyan struggled to get up as he thought, _S-so fast!_

"LET'S SEE YOU TALK WITH ALL THAT DIRT IN YOUR MOUTH, ASSHOLE!" mocked Naruto as he halted his onslaught for a brief moment. He was borderline animalistic as he glared at Raditz as if he were his next kill.

The evil Saiyan spat out the dirt from his mouth before he turned around to taunt the young shinobi some more, "You'll have to do more than that to get rid of me…" He remembered how Naruto had been affected by the mere mention of his friend. "You're probably not even strong enough to save your friend that you talked about earlier…I'll make sure to pay him and your planet a visit once I get off this rock," the Saiyan said with a grin.

With that, something inside Naruto snapped as Raditz had threatened Sasuke. The shinobi grit his teeth, obviously furious as the dreaded fourth tail began to arise from his Nine-Tails Cloak. The tail bubbled up until it completely formed, after which Naruto grasped his head as he appeared to be in some tremendous pain.

Raditz saw his opening, and attempted to land an attack, only to be swiped away by one of the tails. He again hit the dirt, this time on his back, and slid before coming to a stop.

He could only watch as Naruto struggled within his mind…

* * *

**Naruto's Subconscious:**

_W-where am I?_ Naruto was in a dark place, and couldn't see anything around him. He could feel water up to his ankles as he searched his surroundings. _Wasn't I just fighting Raditz? _Thought the whiskered ninja. He could hear low growls in the background amidst the frequent drops he heard around him. Then, a bright light illuminated part of the room in front of him, and Sasuke walked into view. It was the old Sasuke, just the same as he was on the day he left Konoha. He never revealed his face as he walked away from Naruto.

"S-Sasuke wait!" shouted the blond shinobi as he began to run after his old friend and teammate. No matter how hard Naruto would run, Sasuke would just get farther and farther away. "Sasuke, please stop and listen to me…!" he shouted as water began to rise around him, slowing him down even more. As the water completely surrounded him, he could only watch the Uchiha clan symbol on the back of Sasuke's shirt as he floated away. He choked on the water as he thought what he wished he could scream, _SASUKE! PLEASE DON'T GO! _

Once he could no longer see his childhood friend, he lowered his head in defeat, a look of complete hopelessness on his face. _I'm not strong enough…I can't bring him back...Not with my power… _He looked up once more, seeing the Kyuubi's cage in front of him, and began to float towards it. He passed by the bars of the cage, entering the darkness inside the cage. Suddenly, he was surrounded in a light that illuminated the Kyuubi in front of him. The Kyuubi's hands were on each side of Naruto, seemingly holding the ball of light that held the young jinchuuriki. The demon fox smiled as he smashed his hands together, taking over Naruto…

* * *

**Naruto (Four Tails) vs. Raditz:**

Raditz had gotten to his feet, but he couldn't move as he watched in fear as the horrifying transformation of Naruto took place in front of him. "T-this is insane! He seems to have lost all sense of himself!"

Naruto's eyes no longer held any signs of consciousness as they were now entirely blood red. His voice was strained as the ninja grit his teeth as the painful transformation continued. Slowly, the skin on his face began to rip off, bleeding heavily as the wounds formed. His claws dug into the dirt as the skin on his hands began to rip off as well. The blood and skin from his wounds floated out to the edge of his chakra cloak, where they immediately burned and evaporated upon leaving it. The remnants of his skin and blood began to swirl around him, covering him in a sphere of black debris, from which a rising plume of black smoke rose into the sky...

* * *

**Yamato, Sakura, and the others on top of the Ridge:**

"Captain Yamato!" alerted Sakura as she pointed towards the battle, "What's that black smoke?"

"Huh," said the Mokuton user as he noticed the rising smoke. "Sai, status report!"

Sai closed his eyes as he focused on his ink creature and traded information with it. Once done, he slowly turned back towards Yamato and the others with a grim look on his face.

"Well?" questioned the impatient captain, "What's going on?"

"The fourth tail has appeared…and Naruto seems to have lost control…" replied the worried ROOT-ninja.

The others were frozen in shock, as they turned from Sai towards the battlefield as they watched the black sphere, waiting for it to reveal Naruto's transformed state.

Sakura held her hand above her heart as the group heard Naruto scream in agony from inside the black sphere. _Naruto…_ she thought as she cringed at the painful screams coming from her teammate.

Suddenly, they all heard a roar coming from the blackened dome as a shockwave began to rapidly spread out from it. Dirt, grass and other debris were spewed into the air as the shockwave zoomed in on them.

"Shit!" exclaimed a surprised Yamato as he quickly made several hand seals. "**Mokuton: Moku Jouheki…! (Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall)** exclaimed the wood user before slamming his palm to the ground. Right after he did so, wood pillars came out of the ground and formed a half-dome around everyone on the ridge just as the shockwave hit.

The sound was deafening as the ground shook from the tremendous shockwave created by Naruto. The dust made them all cover their eyes to avoid being blinded by it. As the shockwave came and went, Yamato lowered the barrier. As soon as it no longer blocked his view, he cursed, "Shit…"

In front of them on the battlefield was the form he wished to have prevented. What had been Naruto was replaced with a miniature Kyuubi made from a mix of blood and chakra. The form was crouching as if it was ready to pounce on Raditz. _I see,_ thought the Mokuton user, _everything Jiraiya-Sensei said was correct…It seems the chakra of the fox had manifested itself in the only controllable way, by using Naruto's body as a skeleton and molding itself into a representation of its true form._ It was then the Naruto reared back his head, and roared into the sky. _I'm going to have to wait for a chance to get close enough to dispel the Kyuubi's chakra._ He kept a focused eye on the battle as it resumed itself once again.

* * *

**Naruto (4 Tailed Cloak) vs. Raditz:**

The dust was clearing as Raditz coughed. He was aching from having been knocked down by the shockwave. The evil Saiyan began to shake off his blurred vision as he blinked a couple times before checking checking the area around him. His eyes widened from both shock and terror as he found himself inside a very large crater roughly three times the size of the one created by his space pod. "H-he did that…with a roar!" exclaimed the now fearful Saiyan as he shook in terror. His scouter beeped, and against his better judgment, he turned towards his enemy and checked the reading. "N-n-no…I-it's too much…! 10,000!" He began to back away as Naruto's new form shocked him.

The beastly form of Naruto glared back at him with its white, glowing eyes. Its face was black and the mouth opened to reveal sharp fangs made of the evil chakra flowing out of the boy. The form's head was shaped like Naruto's, minus the ears, which looked like the Kyuubi's. The creature roared startling the evil Saiyan as he truly feared for his life.

Raditz quickly shook off his fear as he charged a blast in his left hand and fired it at Naruto. Before the blast could hit, Kyuubi Naruto swiped his arm at the blast, creating a large shockwave and deflecting the blast out into the field. The evil Saiyan's eyes widened in shock at the display, "He created that shockwave with one sweep of the arm!? This is unreal…"

Then, Naruto slammed both his fists into the ground, making them disappear under the soil. The ground shook alerting Raditz to the coming attack and he juked out of the way just as two chakra hands burst from underneath the place he was standing. "It'll be hard to attack him if he's gonna keep me away like that," said the Saiyan as he couldn't keep his thoughts in his own head.

Without warning, another chakra hand emerged out of one the existing hands and flew towards Raditz. He couldn't dodge it, so he fired a Ki blast into it. The blast didn't do much as the hand kept coming, but it was slowed down enough to allow the evil Saiyan to dash out of the way once more.

Seeing an opening with Naruto's hands being in the ground, Raditz charged at the mini-Kyuubi. "I will not let myself be beaten by Elemental TRASH!" screamed the Saiyan as he landed a punch straight to the Jinchuuriki's face. The blow landed and splattered drops of blood from the impact, making the evil Saiyan smirk as he thought he had delivered a solid blow to his opponent.

As Naruto fell backwards from the hard punch, another upper body emerged from his shoulder, and swiped an enlarged chakra hand at the Saiyan warrior. Raditz could do nothing as he took the hit and tumbled away from the Jinchuuriki, bones cracking and organs bursting with each painful smash.

He came to rest about a hundred yards away, and lay face down in the dirt, unable to fight back any longer. Blood began to leak out of his left side from the gash created by the hit. _T-that brat! To think that I, a Saiyan warrior could be done in by the likes of him! The Elementals are stronger than I anticipated, but how!? _He cringed before coughing up a significant amount of blood, _damnit!_

Naruto's form made a roar, as he appeared far from finished. Suddenly, hundreds of black and white chakra particles burst out from beneath the jinchuuriki's form, surrounding him. His tails curved towards his mouth as he began to charge his chakra bomb.

* * *

**Everyone else on Ridge:**

The ground was shaking as they watched Naruto's body collect the chakra particles. They all trembled at the massive power of the blast before Piccolo shook off his stupor. He turned and yelled at Yamato, "What the hell is he doing!? He already has him beat, but a blast that size would destroy us all!"

Yamato responded without turning away from the scene, "He's not in control anymore…All his restraint has gone out of the window, Piccolo. I-I need to get down there somehow…I am the only one who stop this."

"So now he's just a mindless beast meant to kill, and you are the only one who can stop him?" asked the green demon as he grit his teeth in frustration. _Damn ninja…That would have been useful information to know beforehand! Nevermind, we have to stop that attack or we're all toast. _"Gyaaaa!" he began to scream, causing the others to turn to him in shock as his brow furrowed in deep concentration. "YYYYAAAAA," he finally let out as a new left arm sprouted from where the old one had been blasted off. He panted as he regained his thoughts.

"W-what the hell!?" said Krillin, saying what was pretty much on everyone else's minds, "I didn't know you could do that!"

The green demon ignored the bald midget, and turned to Yamato. "I'll distract him, allowing you to get close enough to stop him," he told the ninja captain.

Yamato nodded in agreement, _He's right! We can't let that blast hit anywhere near here._ "Let's do it!"

Piccolo nodded and took off in the air, while Yamato gathered chakra into his feet and ran down the face of the ridge, leaving the rest to watch.

Sakura didn't make out much of their plan, for she was still caught up on Piccolo's words…

_A mindless beast meant only to kill…_

She couldn't believe what her best friend had become, all in an effort to protect her and everyone else. She knew deep down that Piccolo was right, and that this wasn't the same Naruto she knew and cared for. _Naruto…where is your happy-go-lucky self. You hate killing! Why are you doing this!? This isn't you!?_

She didn't notice the tears forming in her eyes as she continued her personal onslaught. _It's always because I can't seem to protect myself. He always has to save me…and I can never do the same for him! It's unfair!_ She noticed the tears now falling down her cheeks and began to get mad at herself for feeling so helpless. _What am I doing! I can help him now! _She wiped the tears from her face and put a determined look on her face. _I can't wait for him to save me this time, because I need to save him from himself!_ With her renewed determination to help her friend, Sakura jumped down from the ridge, on her way to his side…

* * *

**Naruto (4-Tailed Cloak) vs. Raditz:**

The chakra particles had all been gathered and condensed into an extremely dense ball of black chakra, causing the ground to collapse a little from underneath Naruto from the sheer pressure of the chakra. Raditz didn't need his scouter to know that he was done for. _So this is how it ends…_

Kyuubi Naruto then opened its jaws wider as it swallowed the chakra ball, to the Evil Saiyans amazement, "W-what the-"

Suddenly, the mini-Kyuubi collapsed under the ingested weight of the chakra, only to expand rapidly into an almost comical ball. Raditz eyes widened as the beast then opened its maw, about to release the super condensed chakra.

Suddenly, Kyuubi-Naruto's head was kicked to the side as he unleashed the super condensed chakra mass, sending it into the sky. The chakra bomb flew high into the sky before exploding, creating a blinding light almost as bright as the sun. The huge blast knocked everyone to the ground as it shook from the tremendous release of energy.

_Good thing I got here just in time,_ thought the green demon as he shielded his eyes with one arm and held on to the ground with the other to avoid being blown away by the shockwave. _Any later and I would have been toast!_

Yamato was behind his Mokuton dome, having protected himself and Sakura from the blast. Turning to her shocked face, he had to almost yell to say, "I know that he's your teammate Sakura, but you shouldn't be here…It's too dangerous!"

Sakura turned a defiant glare towards her captain and responded in a similar tone, "No…Captain Yamato. Naruto never gave up me and I won't give up on him now! You can't stop me from helping him!" she had said her mind and was not going back on it. That much Yamato could tell from her expression.

The mokuton-user sighed and relented, closing his eyes in frustration. _You really share Tsunade-Sama's stubborn determination, Sakura…Something I should have expected from her number one student. _"Fine, but please stay back until I can get him under control. He might need to be healed after I'm done."

Sakura couldn't help but feel uplifted at her Captain's acceptance of her help, however small. She was glad to finally be of use.

As the blast subsided, Piccolo stood up and looked around for Kyuubi-Naruto, knowing that he had to keep its attention long enough for Yamato to stop him. He turned his head to find the jinchuuriki facing him, right in between him and the receding dome of the mokuton-user.

_Perfect,_ thought the green demon as he smiled, knowing that the plan was already working. _Just need to keep him focused on me a little longer!_ Piccolo grit his teeth and yelled towards the mini-Kyuubi, "HEY! WHY DON'T YOU ATTACK ME YOU MONSTER!"

Any positive feeling Sakura may have had before were erased as the combination of seeing Naruto's state up close and hearing Piccolo's words again assaulted her senses. She looked up and down at her teammate's unrecognizable body and shivered. _No…That can't be Naruto…This is too…malicious to be him!_ She held her hand to her heart as she began to let the tears flow once again. _H-he let himself become that monster to save me and everyone else!_

She couldn't help but feel guilty for what Naruto had become, and forgetting her agreement with Yamato, she ran towards her friend, letting rationality blow into the wind as she closed the distance between herself and her longtime friend and teammate. Her tears kept flowing as she ran, calling out to Naruto in the hopes of snapping him out of his current state, "NARUTO! PLEASE STOP! THIS ISN'T YOU! YOU DON'T NEED TO PROTECT ME ANYMORE!"

Kyuubi-Naruto turned its gaze on the pinkette after hearing her cry out, unaffected by them. _Shit! What's she doing!? She's gonna get herself killed!_ thought both Yamato and Piccolo.

Yamato frowned in frustration as he immediately began making hand signs. _I hope this makes it in time!_

Piccolo launched himself from his spot, instinct taking over. "Stupid girl," he muttered as he sped towards Sakura, knowing full well what was going to happen.

"PLEASE, NARUTO," pleaded the distraught kunoichi as she got even closer to Naruto, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS BY YOURSELF ANYMORE!" She reached out for the chakra covered jinchuuriki as she took another step.

Then, everything appeared to happen in slow motion as Kyuubi-Naruto lifted one of his tails to attack her; completely unaware of whom he was attacking. Her eyes widened in shock as he did so, the realization of just how far Naruto had gone had finally reached her. Yamato panicked as the pinkette was about to be hit, _NO, I DIDN'T MAKE IT IN TIME! _

Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the pain to accompany the force of the hit, but instead felt someone grab her just as Naruto swiped the tail at her. She felt the person land and opened her eyes to find herself in Piccolo's arms. The green demon was frowning at her, "Are you stupid or something? You nearly got yourself killed!"

Sakura looked down in shame as she felt like she had failed yet again. Even though it wasn't Naruto who saved her, it bothered her that someone still had to save her. _Damn it! I had to be saved, AGAIN! Why_ _can't I protect myself!? _She sniffed and said, "I-I am sorry…I just couldn't stand to see Naruto like that…T-thank you."

"Hmph," grunted the green demon as he put her down, irritated at himself that he showed any sign of weakness. "You only get one, ninja. From now one, you're on your own! Besides, your Captain has him under control now, anyway." He grinned, knowing that at least she was enough of a distraction that the plan worked.

Sakura and Piccolo turned to see Captain Yamato, concentration deeply filling his face. "Sakura," asked the Captain of Team Kakashi, "Are you alright?"

Still visibly shaken, Sakura answered, "Y-yeah, captain Yamato…I'm fine, thanks to Piccolo."

The wood-user kept his gaze on Kyuubi-Naruto, who was bound by at least dozen wooden beams. The jinchuuriki struggled to get free as the beams began to crack. _I've got to subdue the Kyuubi's chakra quick!_ With no time to waste, Yamato stopped talking and made several hand seals before thrusting out his open right palm (that had the symbol for sit written on it), and leaped towards the mini-Kyuubi and shouted, "**HOKAGE-SHIKI JIJUUN JUTSU! KAKU'AN NITTEN-SUISHU! (**_**Hokage-style submission jutsu! Kaku-an's enlightened return!),**_ and smacked his palm onto its chest before jumping back again, with a firm hold on the Kyuubi's chakra.

Several spiked wooden pillars rose from the ground, surrounding Naruto as Yamato began extracting the Kyuubi's chakra. The cloak around the blond ninja began to recede, starting at his face. They all gasped as they began to see the full extent of his injuries.

"It appears the damage from the Kyuubi's chakra was worse than I thought," stated Yamato as he was too focused on the task to keep his thoughts to himself.

Piccolo caught on to what he had said, but kept his thoughts to himself. _So, the chakra that the blond kid uses to fight can hurt him that bad…Talk about a double-edged sword. _The green demon finally tried to get up, only to cringe in pain before falling face down into the dirt. _Tch…Damn it! Naruto got me worse than I thought!_

"P-Piccolo!" yelled Sakura as the demon was incapacitated before her. Her eyes fell upon the gash on his back, apparently having been from Naruto's attack. "Are you ok?"

Piccolo grimaced. All of the sympathy was making him sick, "I'm fine…Just a little scratch." He lied, not wanting to be felt sorry for.

Sakura knew he was lying, and felt guilty about Piccolo's injury, knowing that it happened because he had saved her. _Yet another one of the consequences of my uselessness, _thought the medic-nin as she as she turned on herself yet again.

The pinkette felt as if she was indebted to both of them for saving her, but she couldn't help herself from wanting to help Naruto more. She had a conflicted look on her face as she turned back to Piccolo and bit her lower lip.

The green demon sighed and tried to persuade her, not wanting anyone's help at the moment. "Look, I won't die from this. To be honest, your friend needs more of your sympathy than I do." He kept it brief and to the point, not caring how it affected her.

Sakura nodded, immediately pushing her worry for Piccolo out of her head and focusing solely one her best friend. She couldn't help but cry as she saw the numerous wounds all over Naruto's body as Yamato kept suppressing the Kyuubi's chakra. Even though he really wasn't conscious, the blond ninja kept screaming in apparent pain, making Sakura more and more upset.

As the last of the Kyuubi's chakra was suppressed, Yamato fell back onto his butt, visibly exhausted. He sighed, "Phew…It's done…"

Even though the Kyuubi's chakra had stopped, it did nothing to uplift the spirits of the mokuton-user or for Sakura as they saw how the entire event had affected Naruto. He was somehow still standing as his friends looked over his body. On every exposed part of his body, Naruto's skin had been ripped off, exposing the tender tissue beneath and bleeding to a small extent. It was obvious that he was passed out from the pain as his eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and his mouth hung wide open. After one more brief moment, the blond ninja collapsed, falling face first to the ground.

A surge of emotions filled Sakura as she gazed at her teammate and best friend. He had gone way past his limitations once again, trying to be the hero, only to get hurt. She couldn't stand seeing the pain he went through, somehow feeling as if it were her fault. She then ran to his unconscious body, tears flowing freely, as she cried out his name, "NARUTO!"

The pink-haired medic-nin quickly reached her friend and gently flipped him over on to his back. She did her best to put her emotions to the side as she began healing him, knowing that Naruto's healing was the most important thing for him at that moment. Her familiar aquamarine chakra flowed from her hands into Naruto's body, which was slow to respond. _He's healing so slowly…_ she thought in a worried and sad tone, _usually the Kyuubi's chakra makes him such a fast healer, but it's doing nothing right now._

Sakura had begun to feel frustrated when Yamato kneeled down next to the young kunoichi. He could see the worry and frustration building on her face as the slow healing took place. He could see the skin growing back over the pink, exposed wounds covering most of his body and reflected on what he had heard from Jiraiya before the mission. _Jiraiya-Sensei wasn't over exaggerating like I thought…I never thought Naruto could go through that much damage to himself. I still can't believe the four-tailed transformation had 'that' much power._

Sakura's frustration and worry over the slow healing reached its peak, as she began to shift her hands along Naruto's chest before pumping a larger portion of her chakra into her teammate. The blonde ninja's skin began to heal at a much faster rate, surprising Yamato at the young girl's prowess with medical ninjutsu. Naruto groaned from his unconscious state as the healing was still causing pain for the jinchuuriki.

After seeing this, Sakura once again thought of her being a burden to Naruto as she continued to heal her injured friend. _All I can do is heal him…I'm so unfair to him…He goes above and beyond for everyone as well as me. He gets hurt from pushing it too far and all I am good for is picking up the pieces. _

Her guilt had begun to show on her face as Yamato broke the silence, "Sakura, don't worry. I'm sure Naruto will be fine."

The pink-haired kunoichi shook her head, "It's not that I can't heal him, Captain Yamato…It's that this seems to be all I can do to help him anymore…" she paused a moment as she recalled everything that Naruto had done for her up till now, only upsetting herself more. She began to cry again as she choked out the words, "A-all I can do for him are just the dumbest things!"

Sakura's tears fell upon Naruto, who was breathing heavily and whose skin had completely healed. The young medic-nin stopped healing her friend and continued to sob. Yamato could see the concern and compassion for her friend in her. It wasn't hard to read. _Sakura, you… _He could tell immediately how she really felt about Naruto in that one brief instant. The captain couldn't bear seeing her like this any longer; it was too much to take in, so he carefully planned out his words before attempting to reassure her.

"You know, Sakura…" began the mokuton-user as Sakura's sad gaze came up to meet his reassuring smile, "It's not what it is that you do for Naruto…It's how much you care about him when you do it!"

They turned to look at the voice's source, and it was Krillin, who was carrying Master Roshi as he flew towards them. Sai was riding on his ink eagle to the bald man's right, with Bulma riding along with him holding the unconscious Gohan in her arms. Also on the ink eagle was Goku's lifeless body, because they didn't want to leave their beloved friend behind.

Sakura smiled with joy at seeing them come, forgetting about her own troubles for a moment, as she was just glad they were okay too. "Sai, Krillin-san, Bulma-san, Kamesennin…you're ok!" Yamato shared her enthusiasm, but decided to let her do the talking.

Sai's ink eagle landed, letting its passengers get off and gingerly move Goku's body too before dispersing. Krillin landed soon after, setting Roshi down before doing so himself. The bald midget responded, "Yeah we're okay, somewhat…" as he rubbed his back. _My back is killing me! Why did he pick today to wear his shell!? _referring to his master's turtle shell calling card. _I swear…It gets heavier every time!_

"Yeah, like Krillin said. We're okay," said Bulma with a bittersweet smile as she continued to hold Gohan in her arms, worried about how to break the news to Chi-Chi and Gohan about Goku's death. She brushed away for now as she shifted more towards curiosity, "Hey guys, what happened after the blast? We were all knocked back by the shockwave, and by the time we got back to the ridge, the fighting was over."

Sakura flinched at her question. She didn't really prepare herself to recount these events to her new friends. She froze, panic setting in as she couldn't quite get the words together to answer their curious eyes.

Yamato could tell she wasn't ready, so he explained for her, "Well, Piccolo managed to stop Naruto's attack, or should I say redirect the attack. Then he distracted him long enough for me to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra, but not before getting hit too." He left out the reason why, partly to avoid destroying Piccolo's ego and partially because he knew Sakura didn't want people to know that Naruto almost hit her. The mokuton-user then got back to the point as he finished answering the question, "After suppressing the last of the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto collapsed due to his severe injuries…It took Sakura a while to heal him, but she isn't one of the best medical ninja in Konoha for nothing," he added a smile to help reassure the young kunoichi, "and she just finished when you guys showed up."

The pink-haired kunoichi looked back at her captain and gave a weak smile, silently thanking him for omitting her nearly getting hurt by her own friend. _Thank you Captain Yamato…I don't know what Naruto would do if he found out that he hurt me, and I don't want to find out either…The encouragement helps though…_

Krillin looked skeptical about something as he put his finger to his chin. "I guess Piccolo came through in the end after all…"

"I'm still here baldy," said the aforementioned demon, who was now sitting up, not as affected by his injury as before. "Quit talking about me as if I'm dead!" he shouted at the startled bald midget.

"No, no. It's not like that," chuckled the nervous Krillin as he back away slowly, trying to wave it off both figurative and literally. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I'm glad you're…"

"Save it!" ordered the demon, not in the mood for more talking, "You're annoying." Nobody noticed Sakura's slight cringe at those words. The obviously had another meaning behind them for her. Her thoughts briefly shifted towards her ex-teammate before Sai spoke up, snapping her out of her sure to be painful reverie.

"There's just one thing I do not understand," said the ROOT ninja, holding his chin in thought as he did so, "Captain Yamato, I do not recall you saying what became of Raditz."

Everyone else stared at the artist with dumbfounded looks, each one performing a mental face palm for forgetting the most important matter at hand. "Oh no," Sakura finally spoke, "We forgot about him, where is he?"

Piccolo chuckled, "He's over there," as he pointed over his shoulder to the other edge of the field, "He's alive, but not for long. He won't be a problem for us anymore."

Everyone gave a sigh of relief except for Sakura, who tightened her fist in anger. _That bastard is still alive! He doesn't deserve to be breathing after what he's done._ With her barely able to control her anger any longer, she told the others, "He doesn't deserve any more time to breath…After what Naruto went through, and what Raditz has done; I'm going to make sure he doesn't get up again." With that, she turned around, walking towards the fatally wounded Saiyan. Bulma was about to speak up to her, but Roshi put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, making her stop.

* * *

**Raditz and Sakura Talk:**

The wounded Saiyan coughed, spitting out blood as he did so before addressing the pink-haired girl walking up to him. "Finally," he mocked, still unable to stop his taunting ways, even as he was dying, "I was beginning to think you all forgot about me." He defiantly smirked at the young girl who now stood over him. She looked pissed as her brow was furrowed and a vein appeared on her forehead, as well as the fact that she was clenching her teeth and fists.

"Any last words, asshole?" said Sakura, not caring about which insults she threw the evil Saiyan's way. _AS IF I CARE, CHA!_

Raditz seemed to get an idea as he briefly thought about it a moment, "J-just one thing," he coughed out some more blood before continuing, "W-why was your friend able to obtain so much power?" He coughed some more before looking to her, almost pathetic in the way he did so.

_WHY SHOULD I?_ thought the stubborn part of her, while the other just simply didn't care, _Well, what does it matter…? He'll be dead soon anyway._ She shrugged her shoulders and relented, "Whatever, the knowledge of telling you this doesn't bother me considering you're about to die." She could see Raditz smirk, which made her uneasy but she decided to ignore it and continued, "Considering that, I'll keep it short. You see, Naruto's what we call a Jinchuuriki on my planet. They are human vessels to the bijuu, or tailed beasts. They are nine of them in total, each having a different number of tails ranging from one to nine. These beasts are pure energy, having enormous supplies of destructive power."

She paused for a second, making sure she wasn't wasting her breath by seeing if he was unconscious. He kept staring at her with that cocky grin, making her want to just punch his ticket to hell right now, but she held back her anger. _Just a few more seconds Sakura,_ he silently told herself.

The kunoichi sighed and continued, "There are ninja villages on our planet that capture the tailed beasts and seal them inside of the jinchuuriki." She was drawing upon Granny Chiyo's explanation of jinchuurikis to her team when they were rescuing Gaara from Akatsuki. "Having a tailed beast in a jinchuuriki ensures that a village has power. The jinchuuriki are usually kept close for protection, but they are able to access a portion of the tailed beast chakra sealed within them. You happened to be fighting the jinchuuriki with the strongest of the nine tailed beasts, the Kyuubi. I'm also pretty sure that you didn't even see half of its full power. How about that for an Elemental, you Saiyan scum!?"

Sakura was proud of her last statement, thinking it would get to the prideful Saiyan warrior. She was cought off guard by his chuckling reaction to her explanation. "Tailed beasts you say? With huge amounts of power that can be controlled by their human vessel…Hmm, interesting…"

The pinkette couldn't keep her fist from shaking as she just about gave in to her anger, but this attitude was worrying her. _Why the hell is he so happy…He's about to die…_ "Ok, what's so funny, smart-ass?" she asked, irritation clear in her voice.

"O-oh nothing!" he said before suffering another coughing spout, "It's just I came up with another question, and I find it funny." He stated with a straightforward tone to his voice. He saw the girl's look of confusion grow as he continued, "I'll just go ahead and ask..." he paused briefly to catch his breath, "HOW DOES IT FEEL KNOWING YOU JUST DOOMED YOUR ENTIRE RACE, PINKY!? Ha-ha-ha!"

Sakura froze instantly, completely shocked and confused by the dying Saiyan's words. _W-what is he talking about? How is my planet doomed?_ Still not quite out of her shock, she struggled as she choked out, "W-what the hell are you talking about? Answer me!" She got a hold of herself, her anger rising at the Saiyan's cocky attitude.

Raditz felt pleased as he smiled and answered the elemental's question, "Oh, I see my words have gotten to you, little girl. Fine, any information I give you wouldn't do you any good anyway! Hmph… Do you remember me mentioning my other Saiyan comrades back during our first encounter?"

Sakura vaguely remembered what he was talking about, "Yeah, but not much else. Why does it matter?" She just wanted him to finish so that she could just punch him out.

"I'm getting to that, little missy," replied the still confident Raditz before continuing, "You see this device on my ear. It doesn't just scan power levels like you think. IT'S DOUBLES AS A COMMUNICATION DEVICE. My friends have heard everything that happened here today, and thanks to your kindly explanation are very intrigued at the possibility of paying your lovely planet a visit!" He paused, wanting to take pride in the look of shock on terror on the young girl's face. "Thanks to you, your family and friends are as good as dead along with everyone else on your planet. After they're done with Element, they'll probably come here and wipe you all out! HA-HA-HA! YOU'RE DOOMED!"

Sakura was shaking, completely shocked at what she just heard. She couldn't believe him, _Should I believe him, or is he bluffing? No, why would a dying man make threats unless he was sure…Oh, Kami…What have I done? _Her thoughts raced from her parents and friends, especially Ino. Then she thought about her master, Tsunade, upset about losing her best student at one moment and dead along with everyone else the next. The pain of guilt was almost too much to bear as angry tears formed in her eyes. She turned towards the dying Saiyan once more, "H-how long before they get there?"

Raditz believed there was nothing bad to coming out of sharing just a little more hints, "They'll probably be there in about a year from now. It's one year either direction from their location. It doesn't matter though, each of my comrades are several times stronger than I am. You don't stand a chance! Ha-ha-ha! I WILL BE AVENGED!"

Sakura was done listening. She pulled back her fist and after channeling her chakra into it, shouted, "SHUT UP AND DIE ALREADY! SHANNARO!" as she punched the middle of his back. The ground splintered around the impact, creating a small crater around them as the life was crushed out of the evil Saiyan with the kunoichi's punch.

Sakura stared down at the lifeless Saiyan at her feet, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to do next. _Great, one year. One year to find a way back home, train, and face even stronger enemies. Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut!? _She face palmed, extremely upset with herself. "Damnit!" she cried. _Once again I failed and have hurt the people around me. I'm a walking plague!_ She continued to feel sorry for herself until her thoughts came to her friend, _N-Naruto! How am I gonna tell him!? Ugh…It would have been nice if he were awake. He'd never give up, and would inspire me to do the same…wait…_

The medic-nin's train of unhappy thought derailed as a new realization came to her. "Naruto wouldn't give up…, she whispered to herself, "He'd be like, '_It's okay Sakura-Chan! We can make it back in time, Dattebayo!' and cheer me up. _She couldn't help chuckling a little, feeling her mental impression was spot on.

Sakura smiled and looked up at the sky with a newfound determination in her eyes. _I won't stand by while my home is destroyed by a couple of Saiyan jerks! Team Kakashi will get back home and we will fight to the death to protect it! I won't give up, Naruto! I promise!"_ She was proud of her own declaration as she kept her gaze in the sky, determination clearly on her face, which soon faded as another thought crept into her head. She turned back to her waiting friends and teammates, an awkward smirk on her face forming out of anxiety. "My thoughts are good," mumbled the kunoichi to herself, "but first I have to tell everyone the news first…Oh Kami!"

* * *

**Meanwhile, on Another Unnamed Planet: Two Saiyans are enjoying a Meal when suddenly,**

The big one stopped chewing his food and swallowed. He was very tall, probably at least six-foot ten and was broad shouldered. He was basically built like a brick shithouse. He was bald with a thin, black fu manchu moustache. He was wearing Saiyan armor almost in the exact same style of Raditz's armor. Everything was the same except he did not have red armbands like Goku's biological brother, and had a crotch guard. He also wore shorts similar to the ones Raditz wore underneath his armor as well. On his left eye was a scouter with a green screen.

The big guy turned to his smaller counterpart and stated, "Looks like Raditz was done in by that group of Earthlings and some Elementals…"

"Hmph…" grunted the shorter Saiyan. He was much shorter, and seemed to be around five and a-half feet tall. (Not including his hair) He had spikey black hair that stood up and came to a point in the back, with a prominent widow's peak in the front. He wore different armor than his counterpart, with it having a white chest plate and white gloves and boots. Other than that, its design was nearly identical. Underneath, he wore a dark blue unitard. The scouter used by the smaller Saiyan on his left eye had a red screen instead of the usual green colored one. Both Saiyans' had their tails wrapped around their waists.

The small Saiyan spat out his food and threw down the arm he was munching on, revealing their meal of the local alien. The Saiyan frowned as he continued, "It serves the cocky bastard right! He underestimated his opponents and paid for it! He was no longer fit to be called a Saiyan warrior…having let himself be beaten by that _scum!_ At least he collected some interesting information for us before he croaked that has piqued my interest."

The little one seemed to be in charge as the larger Saiyan was looking to him for guidance, "What was that, Vegeta?'

"Nappa, were you not listening?" questioned Vegeta as he was a little annoyed at his long-time companion. "I was referring to the bit about those tailed beasts that girl talked about. If we could somehow control them like the Elementals do, we use their power to help us free ourselves from Frieza's control."

"Yeah," agreed Nappa, "That extra power would be pretty useful." He began to smirk as he pictured the countless amounts of destruction he could cause with a tailed beast under his control.

Vegeta crossed his hands and rested his head on them in thought. He stayed that way for a moment before adding on to his earlier plans, "I also faintly recall scouting reports by the company on Planet Element mentioning something about a man working on gaining immortality. If we pay him a visit first, who knows, we may not need those beasts anyway, but at least it's a good plan B."

"But why wouldn't we need the beasts, Vegeta?" Nappa was obviously confused, showing why Vegeta was the brains of the operation.

The small Saiyan sighed, and then responded in an impatient tone, "It's because if we are immortal, no matter how many times Frieza knocks us down, we will be able to outlast him and destroy him." He held up his fist as he played the scene over and over in his mind, making him smile as he did so. His huge counterpart nodded as he finally understood what Vegeta was getting as he began to fantasize about what he would do if he were immortal.

Satisfied with his current plans, Vegeta stood up. "Come on, Nappa. We're going to Element!"

"Yeah," grinned the big bald hulk, "It should at least give us some…_entertainment_! Right, Vegeta?"

"Right you are, Nappa. Right you are," answered the little Saiyan as he stepped into his space pod. Nappa had to do some tight maneuvering to get his body through the door of his space pod before settling in. Once they were both in, the doors closed, and the pods blasted off into the sky.

_Either way, I will be getting something I want! _thought Vegeta as he and Nappa sped through space.

**End of Chapter Six!**

* * *

**Oh No! Now the Saiyans are heading towards Planet Element, and the only ones who can do anything about are on Earth! How will Sakura tell the others her news? How will Naruto take it? What will they plan to do!? Will Earth's heroes help them too!? Find out in the next chapter of The Z-Ninja!**

* * *

**Author's note:**** WARNING! SPOILERS CONTAINED IN MY AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

**Honestly, how many of you saw that coming? I warned you that things would be changed, didn't I. XD**

**There was a lot that happened in this chapter, and I'm sure that there are probably some people screaming at the screen right now about how I totally f'ed up with this chapter. I just want those people to calmly hear me explain my reasoning for my plot twists.**

**First of all, some things are canon royalty and are not to be messed with, therefore, Goku needed to die. I just changed how it had happened. It may have been a bit sad, and ruthless, but I needed a trigger for Naruto's anger and boom It hit me. IT KILLED ME to actually do it though. GOKU RULES! XD**

**Also, on a similar note, I did not kill Naruto for several reasons: 1) Him following Goku into the afterlife, training with King Kai, learning Kaio-Ken, has been done before. See Team 7: The Ki Wielding Ninja and Team Z. 2) Naruto is the key to getting back to Element. Don't worry, you'll find out how very soon! 3) It would tough getting Vegeta and Nappa to go to Element if Raditz wasn't defeated by Kyuubi Naruto. 4) It helps advance the NaruSaku relationship. (I know you all saw the similarities in the way I did it compared to the Naruto Manga) 5) Many more reasons that will be explored later. Don't want to give away the whole plot! That would be crazy! XD**

**In regards to the major plot twist, I only wanted to deliver a fresh, new twist to the story, because I was going pretty strict Canon-wise until this chapter. This creates a lot more interaction opportunities for characters as they meet each other, creating new areas for growth as characters and opening new possible plot twists. I WILL DO MY BEST NOT TO CHANGE THE CHARACTERS' PERSONALITIES TOO MUCH! THEY ARE THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF THE STORY, DUH! XD**

**In regards to the Power Level war about to break out in the review section, CALM DOWN! IT'S A DAMN STORY! I had to make Kyuubi Naruto OP in order to get Vegeta's attention. Also, as a DIEHARD fan of the original Manga/Anime adaptations of DBZ and Naruto, I have a solid point to make with the whole, "Naruto characters are weak, they can't even destroy a planet!" I do not know how many times I face palmed reading this on blogs. IF THEY DESTROY THE PLANET, THEY ALL DIE! None of them live on a different planet, so they would be just a little too crazy if they attempted that. (I also believe they just haven't considered blowing up the moon yet in Naruto. Who knows? Kishi isn't done dragging us along while he slowly and meticulously concludes the 4****th**** Great Ninja War.) Now enough with that nonsense!**

**Moving on,**

**It's hard for me to write and adapt for Sakura, for obvious reasons, but I enjoy doing it, and I hope that it didn't come out too poorly! **

**I may have made Piccolo seem a little weak, but it was a sacrifice I needed to make to continue with my plot choice. Piccolo was always one of my favorite DBZ characters, so I plan to make it up to the guy later on.**

**I can't think about anything else to explain right now. It's late, and my head hurts from staring at this stupid computer screen, so I'll have to answer any other questions as they come. **

**Please, do not leave overly negative reviews (Haterviews, as I call them). I encourage constructive criticism as much as I can and I monitor my reviews closely, so you have been warned.**

**I hope that most of you like the plot so far and stick with the story. I enjoy doing this and it has helped me do something creative for once in my damned life. Anyway, I fully appreciate the support that I do get and I thank my followers for that. You are the reason that I feel like I need to keep going with this story! :D. **

**Please remember to review, favorite and follow!**

**Thanks again, **

**Bru-Sensei.**

**P.S: I officially changed my pen name to Bru-Sensei. I laugh every time I say it! Sounds funny and kinda cool at he same time. XD Anyway, see you all next chapter!**


	7. Ch 7: An Unexpected Meeting

**The Z-Ninja:**** A Naruto Shippuden/DBZ Crossover**

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**Hi there everyone!**

**Since the characters are busy at the moment, I have decided to say the disclaimer this week.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I DO NOT OWN DB/Z/GT OR NARUTO! IF I DID, I WOULD BE WAITING FOR THE CHANCE TO SUE A GUY LIKE ME WHO MAYBE FORGOT TO PUT IN THE DISCLAIMER JUST ONE TIME…HA HA HA… Sadly that's not the case, and I am not really that greedy. XD**

**Please enjoy the chapter, hopefully a lot of comedic moments in this one, as well as a surprise or two.**

**Please remember to Fav, Follow and Review after reading. **

**Thanks,**

**Bru-Sensei.**

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**Ch. 7: An Unexpected Meeting!**

Sakura hung her head low as she walked back from her "little chat" with Raditz. She hated having to tell everyone the news, especially since she was part of the cause, which only made her regret and self-loathing grow inside. She was going over the words repeatedly in her mind, trying to figure out the best way to tell her friends in the most delicate way she could. _I just hope Sai and Captain Yamato can forgive me…I already know Naruto will. He always does. _The kunoichi kept walking and didn't notice she had walked right up to them, until somebody called out to her.

"Hey, Sakura…What's wrong? You look paler than usual," noted a worried Krillin, who had ceased his conversation with Bulma. "Is Raditz finished for good?"

The Pinkette's head shot up at his questions, only for her to see everyone staring at her waiting for an answer. _CRAP! Not ready! Not Ready! Wait, yes you are! You rehearsed this!_ She sighed before responding, which was only caught by a certain green someone. "Um…Y-yeah, I-I finished him off…" she choked out while a sweat dropped down her forehead, "He won't be bothering us anymore."

A collective sigh of relief escaped from everyone as they heard the news, except for Sakura and Piccolo, who appeared to be waiting for the young teen to continue. "Oh, that's it? You almost gave the old man a heart attack," chuckled Bulma as she pointed over to Roshi. She still held the sleeping Gohan in her arms.

Roshi laughed and said, "Yeah you almost g…" He paused, finally realizing what she had said and yelled, "HEY! I'M NOT THAT OLD, BULMA!" He grit his teeth and angrily waved his staff at her, only making everyone laugh more.

"Grrr…If all of you are done, I believe that the girl still has something to say!" interrupted a visibly annoyed Piccolo. "No one should be celebrating yet." Finished, he turned back to Sakura, who stared incredulously at the green demon.

"H-how did you…?" asked the confused medic-nin.

Piccolo grunted as he stood up from his spot and pointed to his ears, "Do you really think these things are for show? I could hear everything that smug Saiyan told you."

Yamato, who was crouching next to the still unconscious Naruto, looked over toward Sakura with concern. "Sakura," began the Mokuton-user, "What did Raditz tell you?"

Again, all of their eyes fell on her, and she nervously chuckled. _It happened to happen sooner or later, right?_ The Pinkette took a breath to attempt to settle her nerves, and began, "Well, you all know that Raditz found out about the Kyuubi and the extra power it gives Naruto…" everyone nodded. _Of course they know! What am I thinking?_ "Before he died, he had asked me about the Kyuubi and where the power came from…and I told him…everything. I told him about the 9 bijuu, their enormous power, and why they are sealed into people like Naruto." She hung her head in guilt after finishing her sentence.

"Well that doesn't seem like that big of a deal," stated Bulma matter-of-factly, "If he was going to die anyway, who else could he tell about the tailed beasts?" The others nodded, wanting an answer to that same question as well.

Sakura squirmed, hating every agonizing minute of recounting her blunder to her friends. "W-well, that's where the problem arises…" she finally answered.

The pink-haired kunoichi paused a moment to form her next words when Piccolo continued for her, irritation at her inability to get to the point revealing itself through the demon's tone of voice. "If you won't quit wasting time babbling, we will never be ready in time."

Yamato and Roshi each raised an eyebrow, picking up on Piccolo's last words. It took a moment for Krillin to pick up on it too, and even though he was apprehensive, he dared to ask, "Ready for what, Piccolo?"

The green demon king walked over to his weighted clothes he had taken off before and picked them up, putting them on as he did so. He turned towards the others and in a serious and straightforward tone, answered the question that the bald midget had thrown his way. "The other two Saiyans that Raditz mentioned back at the Turtle Hermit's house are now on their way toward the ninjas' home world."

Everyone had forgotten about Sakura's part in the explanation for the moment, as they were shocked speechless by Piccolo's words, Yamato and Sai specifically. Eventually, the squad captain shook off his shock and asked, "W-why are they going to Element? What do they want?"

Piccolo crossed his arms and maintained his serious tone as he continued the onslaught of bad news, "First of all, they are going after the bijuu, for they want to obtain their power if they can."

Yamato looked back towards the unconscious blond jinchuuriki at his side. _Now there's more than one group after Naruto and the other jinchuuriki. This is bad…_

The demon king did not hesitate as the information kept coming, "According to Raditz, after they go after the bijuu, they will eradicate everyone on your planet…Success or failure."

Sai had on his usual emotionless front, but inside he was feeling something along the lines of worry and fear. _What is this feeling? It is as if a weight is being placed upon my chest when I think of home being under attack by those two Saiyans._ The ninja artist continued to look lost in his thought when Piccolo revealed more bad news after turning towards the Earthlings of the group.

"We're not out of the line of fire either…" he said, grabbing their attention once more, "The Saiyans will come here after they're done with Element…and finish what he (pointing to Raditz) could not."

Krillin and Roshi both lowered their heads in deep concern and fear, but not Bulma. "So what! You all defeated Raditz, albeit barely. If you all train in the time before they get here, they shouldn't be a problem," stated the blue-haired woman.

Sakura closed her eyes as she briefly considered Bulma's idea, before snapping back to reality as she countered her statement before Piccolo could. "No…It would be a miracle even after the training. You see, according to Raditz, the other two Saiyans are much, much stronger than he is...One year, let alone three if we wait here, is hardly enough time to train for their arrival…" As the words left her mouth, she became depressed just like everyone else as she hung her head.

"D-don't give up, everyone," said Naruto, who was struggling to sit up on his own and rubbed his head. The blond ninja had woken up a while ago, which had gone unnoticed by any of the others as he listened to the grim news. "It just means we train harder than ever. I know won't sit by while they kill innocent people, especially when they are my friends and fellow ninja."

"N-Naruto!" came the collective gasp among the group as they all turned to the blond ninja as he rose to his feet. None of them were sure just how much the jinchuuriki already knew, so they were all at a loss for words at how to respond to him.

Naruto was just about standing when he felt a sharp, throbbing pain on the back of his head, "Ouch…My head is killing me. I don't know how you all got that bastard, but it seems as though you did. What happened? He must have knocked me out or something because I blacked out during the fight." He looked from person to person waiting for an answer, only to get confused stares coming back his way. "W-what…Is it my broken nose?" He raised his hand to feel his nose, only to be surprised to find it already healed, "Huh? I know I heal fast, but usually a broken nose takes longer…"

_You really don't remember,_ thought Yamato as he took in the confused expression of the boy's face. Knowing that Sakura didn't want Naruto to know about nearly attacking her, he left that part out as he told Naruto most of the truth. "Naruto, we didn't defeat Raditz…You did. You were using the Kyuubi's power when you blacked out, and overwhelmed him. I had to subdue the Kyuubi before it could turn on anyone else."

Naruto's blue eyes widened as his captain continued to explain how Sakura had finished the Saiyan off after talking, and then came back here to deliver the news. "I-It's coming back, at least everything before the fourth tail…I was just so angry, I couldn't help it. Just seeing him…" the blond ninja clenched his fists as he continued, "How he had just killed Goku like that…It sent me over the edge…" Everyone except for Piccolo lowered their heads and somberly remembered their fallen friend.

Krillin had turned around to look at his best friend's lifeless corpse once more as if to verify it was real, even though he knew it was. Only when he turned to look, had he seen that Goku's body was disappearing into thin air. "Hey guys! G-Goku's body's disappearing," shouted the bald midget.

They all turned to see the same thing, as the peaceful Saiyan's body faded, leaving an empty space where it had previously been. "What!?" cried the ninjas and earthlings.

"Heh…Apparently the old man wants us to fight. He was behind this, and he has a plan for Goku," said Piccolo as he looked towards the sky.

They all turned to the green demon, seeking his elaboration. Naruto was the first to ask, "Old man!? Where is he!? If he does anything to Goku's body, I'll…" He was shaking his hand threateningly in the air, jumping to conclusions once again.

"Naruto, calm down a second," said Roshi who had walked over to the blond ninja and put a hand on his shoulder. "The old man he is talking about is Kami-Sama."

All four ninja were dumbfounded. Sakura quickly shook her confusion as she said, "K-Kami…YOU HAVE A DIRECT LINK TO GOD!?" The 4 shinobi shook their heads, trying to wrap their minds around that, while the earthlings laughed at their expense.

As their laughter died down, the old turtle hermit clarified for the Elementals, "Kami is sort of like that. He is the closest thing to a god if you ask me. He watches over the planet and serves to protect it. He also created the earth's dragon balls."

Sai, Sakura and Yamato all understood easily what he was saying. Naruto, on the other hand, took a few more seconds to grasp it. "Oh…He's like a guardian!"

"Exactly" confirmed Roshi.

"Well, I may not know what Kami has up his sleeve, but you'll need the Dragon Balls," interrupted Piccolo. "His plan includes reviving Goku, and even he can't bring the dead back to life. I will train for the next year. If you ninjas find a way back home, come find me."

The others all nodded in agreement with the Green Demon, except for Bulma. Who began thinking about something before asking Piccolo, "Hey, that reminds me of something. How did Raditz find Goku before?"

The demon replied, "It's that thing over his left eye. It can read power levels within a certain range and reveal their location. If you can use that, then you'll be able to find me."

Piccolo began to turn and leave, but stopped abruptly and turned back, "Oh, and one more thing…I'll be taking Goku's kid with me."

Bulma held the unconscious boy closer to her chest as Piccolo beckoned for the child. Roshi shook his head vehemently as denied the request, "N-no Piccolo. The boy's been through enough already!"

Sakura and Krillin jumped between the green demon and Bulma, who was now slowly backing away. They were ready to fight as the pink-haired girl quickly forgot about how Piccolo saved her earlier and spoke first, "You're not going to take him. You'll have to get through us to get to him." She began to tighten her glove, for she actually wouldn't mind a fight. It would get her mind off her guilt.

Krillin gulped and faced Piccolo as well, "Y-yeah, I won't let you take my best friend's son. It doesn't matter what you plan to…Wait a minute! You were going to eat him weren't you?" The bald midget stood pointing at the demon in a shocked yet still accusing pose.

Everyone hit the ground after Krillin's moronic statement. Getting up quickly and dusting himself off, Piccolo yelled back sarcastically, "YES, AND I WANTED HIM WITH A SIDE OF FAVA BEANS AND KIANTI! NO YOU BAKA," the demon paused to collect himself. "I am going to train the boy. He will be ready by the time the Saiyans arrive on element." Sakura and Krillin stood where they were, not convinced by his words. "Look, the kid has a tremendous power hidden deep inside. If I train him to fight and use that power properly, he would be an invaluable asset to us when we fight the Saiyans. I am the only one who can train that boy properly. Now, hand him over, before I make you."

Krillin and Sakura grit their teeth and were about to attack when Naruto stepped between them and their target, shocking them both. "N-Naruto," began Sakura, "Why did you stop us, he's going to take…" She was cut off by her friend as he raised his hand for her to stop.

"He's right Sakura-Chan…" said Naruto, "I saw Gohan's inner power too. We'll need it if we're gonna even stand a chance…" He turned to Krillin, who was also apprehensive, and continued, "I don't know how, but I would be able to tell if he is lying…"

Krillin and Sakura began to lighten up a bit, but still held their ground as Naruto turned back to Sakura. "Please, don't fight him…If you can't trust him like I do, then trust me." Sakura looked up and peered deep into her friend's cerulean eyes, as he held his gaze on her emerald ones. Seeing the confidence in Piccolo on his face, she relented, easing back up into a standing position.

"I still don't like it…" mumbled Krillin as he too relented.

Naruto walked over to Bulma and took Gohan from her, and proceeded to hand him over to Piccolo. As he did so, he leaned in and whispered so only the two of them could hear, "I am counting on you two to help us on my planet, Piccolo…"

The demon snickered, "Don't get the wrong idea. I am doing this for my own reasons. I don't need any Saiyans destroying earth when I plan to take it over myself. Stopping the Saiyans on your planet just keeps them from damaging my future property." Naruto nodded in understanding of Piccolo's intentions. _We may be allies now, but if you turn on us…I will stop you,_ thought the blond haired shinobi.

Piccolo took the boy under his arm and began to levitate off the ground before calling out to Roshi, "Hey, Hermit! Train these fools (Naruto and the other ninja) while I am gone. They don't even realize the power they have inside themselves, especially Naruto." With his message given, Piccolo flew off to train with Gohan.

Yamato blinked a couple times before turning to Roshi, "What did he mean by the power within us?" The ninja all looked toward Roshi, who decided to tell them later, "That part can wait for now. We should get back to my house as we figure some more things out. _Like who we're sending to tell Chi-Chi about her son!_

"Hang on a sec," said Bulma who began walking towards Raditz's body, "I want to get that device off of him. Krillin, can you help me out?"

"S-sure," answered the bald midget as he trailed his blue-haired friend.

While they were doing that, the four Elementals gathered together and discussed some things. "Captain Yamato, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about using the fox's chakra." He held his head down in shame.

The captain smiled, "It's okay, Naruto. What's important is that everyone else is okay, and nothing bad came from it." Feeling reassured, the blonde's spirit picked up and he put on his big toothy grin.

Sakura felt at ease seeing that big knucklehead smile like he always did. It always gave her hope, even when there shouldn't be in the first place. She began to smile to when she noticed Sai with his fake smile before saying, "Yes…I may be new to this squad, but I would miss you Naruto…"

The ninja artist began leaning in for a hug when Naruto began to panic, "Ehhh! I knew there was always something off about you! Get away! I don't do stuff like that with guys!"

Sai became confused, "Strange, why would you refuse my hug." He put his hand to his chin as he thought it over for a second and took out a book from his bag, "This book said hugs help strengthen the bond between two people."

Naruto looked at the title on the cover, which read, How to get close to that special someone: A guide to strengthening your relationship. Also on the cover were a man and woman holding hands and walking in a park.

"SAI! That book is for romantic relationships between men and women! Not friends," shouted Naruto while he kept what he considered to be a "safe" distance from the now former ROOT ninja.

Sakura and Yamato face palmed as the ridiculous conversation continued before them. While Yamato then tried to sort out the two boys, Sakura lifted her eyes to the sky. _I hope we figure out how to get home soon…I miss my friends…_ Feeling saddened by her thoughts, she decided to think about something less depressing, _I wonder what Kami has in store for Goku. Hehe…I'm sure Naruto does too!_

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**A Little While Earlier, In Other World:**

The Other World check in station sat upon the orange clouds of the realm, with several paths entering and exiting the building, one on each side. The building was of a traditional oriental castle, with red and white walls, red door and window frames, and green roofs. The main entrance to the station/castle held a welcome sign over the crowded path leading into it. The newly deceased souls were all formed in a long single file line, waiting to be sent to either heaven or hell. The line wasn't moving as there appeared to be something holding things up inside the building.

Inside, Kami was just finishing his plea to the King Yemma. He kept his hand on Goku's shoulder as the young man looked at his surroundings. The walls were again white, but the intermittent columns were green this time instead of red. Windows filled the spaces between the columns and were painted red. The ceiling was yellow with a red indent in the middle. A retro chandelier hung from it, illuminating the office.

Goku was impressed at the design. He had been raised in the woods, so anything better than that was pure luxury to him. _I guess being the ruler of Other World has its perks, huh?_ He turned to face the Great King Yemma, who was still listening to Kami talk. The king of the ogres was red skinned, had a mane of black hair to go along with a black full beard, and also had horns that stuck out from each side of his helmet. His helmet was purple like the rest of the suit he wore, but the helmet had some kanji on it that Goku did not recognize. Underneath the suit was a white shirt and orange tie.

The big ogre was multi-tasking, listening to the Earth's guardian speak while also flipping through his book containing all the souls entering other world and sitting behind his massive wooden desk. Kami looked like a much older version of Piccolo that wore a white tunic that had a red kanji of his name on the front of it. Over the tunic he wore a blue cape.

Goku wasn't really listening to the conversation, as he was more focused on something dramatically less important. _I wonder if everyone who gets to keep their body gets one of these,_ thought the simple minded warrior as he observed the golden halo floating over his head. _I wonder if I can touch it?_ He reached up and was about to touch it when he was stopped when Kami squeezed his shoulder, knowing full well what the hero was going to do.

Luckily, Goku didn't have to wait long as Kami concluded, "Please, Great King Yemma, I humbly ask that you allow this man to receive his training from King Kai." The simple Saiyan was alert now as they had finally gotten to the point.

The large ogre sighed as he flipped through his book till he found the page he was looking for, "Ah here we are…Son Goku…Quite a list of achievements…Enough to get him straight into Heaven, yet you want him to risk Snake Way to receive some training?" The quizzical look he directed towards Kami indicated the confusion he held inside.

The Guardian simply responded, "Yes, sir. Those are my intentions."

Goku quickly lost interest again as a new thought popped into his head. Turning towards Kami, he asked, "Does everyone go here, after they die I mean? Including aliens?"

"They do Goku…even aliens…you're technically one too," said the elder.

Goku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "Hehehe…It all happened so recently I forgot for a second there!" While Kami was distracted by his face palm, the forgetful Saiyan turned to King Yemma and asked, "Hey, did a guy named Raditz come through here already?"

Kami was about to scold Goku for a lack of respect when Yemma slammed down his book, "Ha! Of course I remember that cocky little pain in the ass! What a mouth he had on him. I didn't even need to lift a finger though. My best assistant took him straight to hell where he belongs."

"Heh, he must be tough to be able to do that," said the simple Saiyan, "I wanna meet that guy! Can he train me, Kami-Sama?" Goku was already giddy at the thought of training.

"No, Goku…We don't even know who this person is, and besides, he's probably too busy helping King Yemma," scolded the Guardian of Earth.

"Actually, he will be Son Goku's guide to seek training from King Kai," interrupted the massive ogre king as Goku and Kami turned to him, "His shift is just ending, and I was going to reward him with vacation time, so this is just perfect."

Kami raised an eyebrow toward the ogre, "You are giving you're assistant a vacation, by sending him off to do another errand?"

Yemma pounded on his desk, startling the Guardian of Earth. "You would do well to remember not to question the being that can send you to hell."

Kami nodded in fearful understanding while Goku chuckled nervously, when suddenly a new voice interrupted, "Do you really have to keep messing with him, King Yemma? You always said that Kami has been a good guy? You know it wouldn't be right to send him to hell."

Kami, surprised that Yemma did not destroy someone who spoke so rudely to him not once but twice, turned to see who the voice was along with Goku. Walking towards them was a tall, young man in his early twenties. He had spiky, blond hair with two shoulder-length bangs on each side of his face. He was fair-skinned and had blue eyes. He was wearing a uniform like the one worn by Yamato and other Jounin in Konoha, but also wore a white haori with red flame motifs along the lower edges. The back of his haori had Fourth Hokage written in red, though Goku couldn't tell because his Kanji knowledge was so poor. On his head was the standard hitai'ate worn by Konoha shinobi.

The shinobi walked toward King Yemma as the ogre seemed to be pouting a little, "You are no fun, Namikaze…It just gets so boring here sometimes. It's a good thing you won't be limiting my fun while you're gone."

"I'm sure you can handle anybody that comes in here," responded the man, "You were doing things by yourself a long time before I got here."

"Yeah, but I was much younger Ogre then…" Yemma seemed to daydream a bit as he thought about his youth, but Kami coughed, alerting the Ogre King and his assistant to his and Goku's presence once more. "Ah…sorry 'bout that…Um…where were we? Oh, that's right!" said the huge red Ogre as he turned back to his ninja assistant, "Hey, your timing is perfect! Kami has requested that this man be trained by King Kai, and since you are both going the same way, I figured you can show him the way. He's in a hurry, so I knew you were the best and only man for the job."

"Say no more. I'd be glad to!" responded the kind shinobi with his own toothy grin, "I just want to get back home…"

Goku knew immediately where the man was from, but instead of bringing it up right then, he just wanted to get training as soon as possible. "Um, can we leave now…? I do need to get to King Kai's place, ASAP."

The Elemental nodded. "Yeah, I can't wait to get back either. You're lucky that I was here," said the blond shinobi, "Otherwise you would have had to run the whole way there…" He wrapped his arm over Goku's shoulder and walked with him out of the room, only turning for a moment to wave back at King Yemma and Kami, "See ya," both he and Goku said before they walked out of viewing distance.

Kami waved goodbye to them and yelled back, "Good luck on your journey Goku!" He then began to think out loud to himself and mumbled as he did so. _Earth and Element have gotten into quite a mess this time…Sure, we could have tried to wish the Saiyans away, but I fear that Shenlong's power even pales in comparison to those two…Even with training from King Kai, I am just not sure that Goku will even obtain enough power to stop them…_

Kami didn't notice that he was standing there too long, and that his mumbling was a little annoying until Yemma pounded on his desk, "GET OUT OF HERE! YOU'RE HOLDING UP THE LINE!"

Kami backed away in fear, waving both hands as said, "Oh, sorry King Yemma…I'll be going now." The guardian gathered himself, and in an instant, transported back to his lookout on Earth.

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**Goku and the Fourth, walking towards the beginning of Snake Way**

The Fourth was still walking with his arm around Goku's shoulder as they exited the check-in station. It was getting a little awkward as Goku didn't even formally meet the guy. "Um…I can tell that you're a nice guy and all, but shouldn't I know your name before we go?"

The Fourth froze mid-step; he usually never forgot to introduce himself to someone. _Whoops! Guess I was so excited to get back home that I even forgot to ask his name too!_ He let go of the forgetful Saiyans arm and rubbed the back of his head, chuckling, "Hehe…Sorry about that. I am Namikaze Minato…" He didn't think his shinobi title had meant anything to the man next to him, so he left that part out. "Nice to meet you!"

Goku smiled his own grin as he returned the favor, "Likewise…My name is Son Goku…You can just call me Goku if you want…"

The two shared their friendly smiles with each other as The Fourth replied to the Saiyan, "Then you can just call me Minato…I have never been too fond of formal speaking anyway…"

"Me neither!" chuckled Goku as they shared another quick laugh. "I think we'll get along alright!"

After their laughter died down, Goku noticed a skinny ogre standing by the archway to the check-in station, which reminded him of something. "Excuse me a moment," said the Saiyan before he turned and walked over to the ogre, who looked like a prototypical bookworm with glasses.

"M-may I help you, sir?" asked the nervous-looking blue ogre.

"Yes you can…Do you know Baba, the fortuneteller from Earth?" asked Goku as he looked down at the smaller ogre in front of him. He had remembered Baba having frequently travelled to Other World for personal reasons. "I need her to get a message to my friends."

"Ah, yes. I know her very well. She is going to visit this week," replied the ogre cheerfully, just happy to be of use. He took out a pencil and notepad as he prepared to write, "Please tell me the message…I promise I'll get it to her."

Minato watched as the man relayed his message. Patience was always one of his best qualities, especially with his wife, but it was also for that reason that he was getting anxious…He hadn't seen her for a while.

Goku told the ogre, "Okay, have Baba tell my friends that I said to not wish we back until a year from now, when the Saiyans come. I need to complete my training in order to be ready to defeat them. Oh, tell her it's from Goku…I'll owe her one."

The ogre was writing up the last few lines, mumbling as he did so, "…to complete his training, from Goku. Got it! I'll be sure that she gets it!"

Goku smiled and replied, "Thanks!" before turning back to Minato who kept his patience in check. "Sorry about that…It was important that my friends got that message."

"It's okay, I understand." It was true. The Fourth had always made it a priority to be understanding and compliant to others' needs. It was one of the biggest reasons why he was so loved back when he was alive. "Let's get going…We still need to reach the beginning of snake way before I can speed up at all."

Goku jogged to catch up to the ninja who had already started walking away. After quickly catching up, the Saiyan fell into stride with his guide as they walked. Naturally curious about snake way, Goku had some questions he wanted to ask. "Um…Minato…" began the Saiyan, "I guess you have run this before, since King Yemma said that you have been trained by King Kai. Just how long will this take?"

_I asked my guide that same question…funny how things work out like this._ "Well, since you and I are both in a hurry to get there, I'd say…no time at all!" said the Fourth with a smile on his face.

Goku was confused as to why King Yemma had said Snake Way was so dangerous in the first place, so he asked, "Really!? I guess I am lucky that you're here. How long do you think would it have taken me on my own?"

"Well," Minato as he put his hand to his chin, "If my first run on snake way is the benchmark…I'd say about at least a few months. Snake Way is a million kilometers in length."

Goku stumbled and barely caught himself before he smacked his head on the ground. _He said that like it was nothing! HE RAN THAT WHOLE WAY!_ "If it is a million kilometers," began the Saiyan as he scratched his left cheek with his index finger, "and if it took you months the first time…What do you mean when you say that it would take no time at all to get there."

The friendly guide smiled, "It's much easier if I show you since we're at the start already."

Goku turned to see them walking towards a very large replica of a snake baring its fangs. "Huh? Snake way is really a snake," asked/stated the surprise Saiyan.

"It was kind of implied, though I can see how you would have thought that," answered Minato even though he didn't agree with his words. He was just too polite to break it to the guy. He walked ahead and grabbed a kunai sitting near the open mouth of the snake, and turned to see Goku jump over him onto the snake head.

Goku had his right hand shading his eyes as he tried to extend his vision as far as he could see. He followed the twists and turns of Snake Way until it disappeared over the horizon. "WOOOOW…!" exclaimed the amazed warrior, "You weren't kidding…That is a long way."

Jumping up to Goku's side, Minato replied, "Yeah, I know, which is why we're going to use this!" Holding up the kunai so the forgetful Saiyan could see it, he continued, "This is how we're going to get there so fast."

Goku narrowed his eyes as he looked closely at the kunai in Minato's hands. _This one is different from any the kunai I saw before. The others only had one point and not three. Also, i-is that a seal wrapped around the handle?_ The Saiyan was looking so hard at it, that Minato thought Goku could actually tell what the kunai did, only to fall to the ground as the Saiyan deadpanned, "I don't get it!?"

Getting back up to his feet, Minato thought to himself, _Heh…Should have known he wouldn't have any clue. He isn't from my planet after all, _unaware that Goku knew more than it seemed. "You will when we get there. Just grab onto my shoulder."

Goku did as he was told before Minato continued, "I recommend you close your eyes, the technique can be disorienting to someone experiencing it for the first time."

Goku nodded and closed his eyes as well.

Satisfied, Minato faced forward, closed his eyes and mentally searched for his intended destination. Having already gathered the necessary chakra, the yellow flash made hand seals and declared, "**Hiraishin no Jutsu! (Flying Thunder God Technique)**"

Right before he and Goku disappeared in a yellow flash, Minato realized something he should have told Goku. _Oh no. The Gra-…_

* * *

**The Same Instant, on King Kai's Planet**

-_ity…!_ _Whoops!_ Thought the Fourth as he turned back to see Goku, who was face first on the ground, in a small indent the shape of his body. Minato rubbed the back of his head and put up an apologetic grin, "I am so sorry about that! I forgot to mention the harsh gravity here…Same thing happened to me too…"

They were now on King Kai's planet, which was green all around with a few apple trees scattered around, save for the one road going around the circumference of the small planet. Situated on that road was a shiny red classic 1957 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop, which the top was painted white instead of red. Next to where the car was parked stood what must be King Kai's house. The house was made of one big orange dome, the front door of which was only a slightly pulled back purple curtain. Next to the house was a decent sized building that appeared either a garage or shed. Lastly, in front of the house was a well. It was just a plain ordinary well.

"Mfffdmffff!" were the muffled sounds coming from Goku's mouth as he tried to respond to Minato's comment.

"I'm sorry, what!?" asked the confused ninja.

The Saiyan struggled to lift his head from the dirt, the veins on his neck popping out from the effort. He barely managed to let his eyes be able to look at his guide when he spat the dirt out of his mouth, "Don't take this the wrong way, but…SHOULDN'T THAT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST THING YOU TOLD ME!" _I understand he forgot, but geez. This gravity is just too much!_

The ninja felt a little taken aback by Goku's words. He kicked the dirt and sulked, '_It's not like I meant to forget…I did say I was sorry…_ '

As Goku struggled to get to his feet, Minato was snapped out of his minor depressive episode by the woman's voice he had so desperately wanted to hear, "MINATO! YOU'RE BACK!"

The ninja turned and smiled compassionately towards his wife and the woman of his dreams, "Kushina!" The sight of her would brighten up any day for Minato. She was everything to him. From her fiery red hair to her violet eyes, fair skin and slender build made her the most beautiful woman he could ever imagine. She was wearing a white, high-collared, and sleeveless blouse underneath a long green dress. She wore the typical ninja sandals on her feet, only in a shade of black. She had a couple of accessories as well, one a blue wristband while the other was black clip that helped keep her bangs out of her eyes. The strands that did hang down framed her face on either side. The red head ran up to her husband and embraced him in a huge hug, nearly crushing her husband. "Oww…Kushina…You're hugging me too hard…"

Goku even thought she was pretty as he huffed and puffed after finally standing on his feet, hands on his knees to support himself. _I'm just glad Chi-Chi isn't here to be jealous!_ He managed an audible chuckle in between pants, catching Kushina's attention.

The red head put her down her husband, who began to hyperventilate just to get his wind back, before looking towards the Saiyan with a confused look on her face. "Who's this baka!?" she rudely exclaimed after a few moments.

Still struggling to catch his breath Minato answered her as best he could, "Haaa…Haaa…He…here…to train…" A full sentence was too hard to manage as it took all his concentration to just to breathe again.

Kushina had a scowl on her face as she observed the warrior struggling to just maintain his balance. The red head knew her husband's compassion for others at his own expense was a big part of who her husband was, and even though she loved that about him, sometimes it just seemed unfair to her eyes. "Why would you help this guy get here, Minato? He can't even stand without having trouble, dattebane!"

Having caught his breath, the Fourth knew he could use her last word against her to settle the red head down a bit, no guarantees though. "You said it again, Kushina," pointed out the blonde former Hokage, "You told me to let you know when that verbal tic of yours slips out. You know that only happens when you get too worked up. I need you to calm down and let me explain why I brought him here." _Uh-oh…Danger!_

The fear on Minato's face said it all as his wife's anger was suddenly redirected towards him. "YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN DATTEBANE!" She didn't care that her verbal tic she had had since childhood reared its ugly head again as she was determined to make her point. She pointed back at Goku without looking and continued, "He could explain it himself. Why do you keep helping others so much!? I only want you to start thinking of your own needs every once in a while…"

Despite being on guard for a possible punch hitting his skull, Minato was happy inside knowing that she was scolding him out of their love and concern for each other.

Goku watched on and sweat dropped. _Okay…She is the second person to remind me of Chi-Chi in two weeks…Kushina was her name, right? Well, she just looks so fearsome with that red hair of hers, that I think she scares me as much as Chi-Chi too!_ Goku shivered at the thought if they had ever met, thinking that they could team up on him and Minato if given the chance. _Scariest…thought…ever…!_

Once Kushina's rant was over, leaving the woman panting and worn out, Minato looked her in the eyes with his kindhearted smile, and said, "I love you too, Kushina…" He knew that she had trouble putting her emotional feelings into words, and her angry rant was her way of saying it to him.

The woman was caught off-guard by her husband's timely words. All of her anger faded as she fell into his trap, just as he had planned. Bright red filled her cheeks as she chuckled, "Ohh…I just can't stay mad at you, Minato…Come here!" The red head once again forgot her own strength as she hugged her husband, who was beginning to turn purple.

Goku realized this and interrupted her moment, "Uh…I think you should let Minato breathe soon."

Kushina looked up and saw her now purple husband gurgling bubbles in her arms. "Oh crap! I did it again, dattebane!" She lessened her grip and slowly returned her husband to his feet. The blond ninja shook his head as his vision and breath returned.

Knowing from past experiences of the same thing happening, Kushina let her husband recover as she strode over to Goku, who was now sitting on the ground, having tried to take a step just to end up on his butt. "I am sorry about snapping at you earlier," began the red head as she blushed and scratched her cheek in slight embarrassment, "It's just that he agrees to helping people before thinking about himself or even listening to what the person's problem even is, ya know? It just frustrates me and upsets me…Then I start my saying my tic, dattebane…Damnit, dattebane! Augh! Anyway, you will just have to wait for King Kai to wake up from his nap." The red head finished, turned away, and face palmed.

_Baka! Can't you go five seconds without saying dattebane?_ That thought was just the beginning as she continued her inner onslaught on herself, which was painfully obvious considering the frustrated looks on her face as she did so.

Goku looked at Kushina as she beat herself up over her little tic, and chuckled, thinking the way that something so small as a simple slip of the tongue could upset someone so easily. He decided to try and stop her self-imposed beating once she began repeatedly smacking her forehead. "It's not that big of a deal to say something unintentionally once in a while, Right? Your name is Kushina right," asked the kind Saiyan as the woman turned back to him, revealing a red mark on her forehead where she had been hitting herself. _Ouch! I guess her habit really does bother her._

Kushina stared back at the kind man, relieved that he didn't mind her verbal tic at all. _He's actually a pretty nice guy. I can't believe that I snapped at him like I did. Oh well, I'll just chalk that up as another me being me moment._ The red head gathered herself and remembered to answer the Saiyan's question, "Oh yeah…You're right! My name is Namikaze Kushina! Hehehe! Formerly known as Uzumaki Kushina before Minato stopped dragging his feet and asked me to marry him!"

The red head giggled as Minato, having recovered once again from one of her super hugs, walked up to her side with his arms crossed. "I did not drag my feet," began the blond ninja as he honestly stated his reasons, "I was waiting for you to fall for me so much, that the word no would never escape those lips once I asked you…" He put on his usual smile as Kushina returned the favor before resting her head on his chest, letting her husband do the hugging for once.

Goku, however, had not noticed this trail of events as he had zoned out immediately after Kushina revealed her maiden name. _UZUMAKI! HER LAST NAME WAS UZUMAKI!_ Goku looked at the two ninja's faces and everything came together in one crystallizing moment. He mentally took the spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and selflessness of Minato and the facial features and overall personality of Kushina (verbal tic included) and put them together. _HOLY CRAP! _He was surprised that even someone that was usually as clueless about things as he was took so long to figure it out. _They're Naruto's parents! It's so obvious now! _

As the realization of his discovery sank in, the kind and gentle Saiyan began to feel conflicted as to whether or not to say anything at that moment, but that was only in his mind, as his mouth had other ideas. "YOU'RE NARUTO'S PARENTS!"

Goku immediately began swinging at the air, trying to take the words back, but it was too late. The two ninja's eyes shot wide open at the mention of their son. The overwhelming shock of Goku's uncontrolled outburst took on their full attention as they stared with a new found concerns and questions wreaking havoc in their minds.

Awkward silence filled the air between the three, until Minato finally managed to compose a question into words, "H-how d-do you know our son?" He choked out the words, still in a bit of shock.

Goku had no time to answer as Kushina followed up with a follow up question, "and what is Naruto doing on Earth?"

Goku began searching his brain for the best way to answer their questions, but was failing to find a way to start. Goku panicked and thought to himself, _great…The one time I tried to control my mouth, it acts on its own anyway…I think I understand where Kushina was coming from now…_

Awkward silence once again filled the air as the anxious parents awaited Goku's answer…

**End of Chapter 7**

* * *

**I bet you all saw that coming. No, I really bet that and won like 50 bucks…Easy odds.**

**Anyway, Goku unexpectedly met Naruto's parents in Other World. What will he tell them, and vice versa. How are the others doing back on earth? Well, you'll have to wait until the next chapter of The Z-Ninja!**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this chapter until halfway through it. I could just picture Minato helping out King Yemma with his work, bored and needing something to do for the most part, but I felt he would do something like that because it's just who he is. **

**It doesn't feel rushed to me, as I planned to have Goku find this out before Naruto from the beginning. Plus, it means more training time for Goku since Minato helped him skip all that horrible snake way filler. (He's jumping for joy at that idea!)**

**Even though I introduced the characters at this point in time, I felt it was a nice way to do it. I just hope that I got Minato and Kushina's interactions close to what they would probably be in that situation. XD**

**I just hope that the way I did their introduction makes a little sense for you all. Plus I just like Minato and Kushina…They're an awesome joy to write. XD**

**If you have any questions about the chapter, do not be afraid to ask.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Bru-Sensei.**


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